


Fractured

by Eilera



Series: This Isn't a Procedural Cop Show [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Dorks in Love, Drama, Everyone Looks Good in a Police Uniform, Everyone Needs A Hug, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gangs, Humor, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Shatt, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, The Galra Suck in Every Universe, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-02 22:39:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14555076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera
Summary: “New file for you boys. A nice, juicy murder.”Matt seemed oblivious to the dangerous aura surrounding their captain. “No shit, really!? Oh, please be a drug dealer, please be a drug dealer-”“It’s a cashier at Wal-Mart.”“Oh.” Matt drooped.“But we suspect he’s a drug dealer, yes.”“Yes!” Matt whooped, giving Shiro a blinding grin. “Another one bites the dust!”(In which Shiro and Matt are police detectives that can't admit they're in love with each other, even when their past comes back to haunt them.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy. This fic was intended to be a cute little one-shot, mainly because I am a huge fan of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and picturing Shiro and Matt in police uniforms was...distracting. Next thing I know, this 'little one-shot' has turned into over 35K of plot. How did my life come to this? 
> 
> This fic is basically complete, but I will be posting a new chapter each Sunday. There are 6 chapters in total.
> 
> I am planning on making this a series as there were a few ideas I wasn't able to cram into this monstrous fic. That being said, if you like what you see, please expect more. If you have any ideas for prompts, feel free to send them my way. 
> 
> As a side note, please be advised that this is likely horribly inaccurate when it comes to police procedures and the investigation of crimes. If you are an actual police officer or know a lot about them, I am so, so sorry. 
> 
> Special thanks to [DeathByStorm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByStorm/works) and [Kunfetti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunfetti/pseuds/Kunfetti) for helping me beta this fic! Please check out their awesome Voltron fics as well. :)

Shiro knew it was going to be a bad morning when he walked into the precinct to find Lance sitting on his desk. He was snooping through Shiro’s paperwork, legs swinging back and forth as he rambled on to Keith. It was 6AM. Lance was never up at 6AM. Lance would rather burn to death than get out of bed before 10AM. Shiro narrowed his eyes suspiciously but dutifully made his way towards his desk.

“Shiro, buddy!” Lance called genially, making grabbing motions at Shiro to signify he wanted a hug.

“What do you want?” Shiro asked warily, carefully placing a cup of steaming coffee on his desk as far away from Lance as possible.

Lance gasped in mock outrage. He let his hands fall back to his sides. “I’m not allowed to chat with my favourite detective?”

“Keith is your favourite detective.”

“Keith is my _boyfriend_. You are my favourite detective.” Lance winked at Keith who just rolled his eyes.

“Good morning, Shiro. He wants you to do him a favour.” He said.

“ _Keith_!” Lance yelped. “I was going to slowly woo him with my charms.”

“What charms?”

“I’ll have you know, I am the most charming guy you know. Trust me.”

“If you say so.” Keith shrugged.

“Well, it worked on you, didn’t it?” Lance grinned.

“If I remember correctly, you two pined for each other for a good two years before you finally snapped and declared your love for him while you were testifying at a murder trial.” Shiro pointed out, booting up his computer and sinking into his chair.

Lance sniffed disdainfully. “I got him, that’s all that matters. And that perp got a conviction so, take that. I rest my case.”

Shiro shook his head, lips quirking into a smile. “What do you need? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“It was his turn to help out the late-night crew. I had to listen to him whine about it all week.” Keith grimaced, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Haters gonna hate.” Lance stuck his tongue out. “I need your translation skills. I can’t read Matt’s writing on his reports. I’m not even sure it’s entirely in English.”

“No one can read his writing except you, Shiro.” Keith sighed.

Shiro rolled his eyes, holding his hand out for Lance to pass him the folder. “Why don’t you just ask Matt to clarify?”

“He’ll make fun of me!” Lance pouted, waving his hand dismissively. “I’d much rather get my slave-I mean, _good friend_ and amazing sergeant to protect me from that.”

Shiro was pretty sure that Matt purposefully wrote any reports that Lance would need by hand just to screw with him. He also remembered the last time Matt and Lance had gotten into a smart-ass contest. The world wasn’t ready for that again.

With a resigned sigh, Shiro nodded his agreement. “I’ll get it to you before the end of the day.”

“Booyah! You’re the best, Shiro!” Lance pumped his fists, causing the monitors to wobble dangerously. “For your service, your wingman Lancey Lance is gonna help you find some hot piece of ass.”

Shiro frowned. “I never agreed to you being my wingman. But it doesn't matter, I don’t have time for that. It’s too hard to find someone willing to date a cop. It’s a difficult lifestyle for most people to accept.”

Lance hummed in agreement before suddenly perking up. “Hey, I know who would be willing to put up with a police officer boyfriend!”

Shiro had a sneaking suspicion he knew what Lance was getting at.

“Another police officer!”

Bingo.

“You know, the kind that you’ve known for years and years and who has always had your back.”

“Lance.”

“The kind who has stuck by you through thick and thin-”

“Lance-”

“The kind that tolerates all your oddities and knows how to handle your flashbacks-”

“ _Lance_ -” Shiro could feel his face heating up.

“And you two are practically married already, I mean, dude. I almost never see you two apart.”

Keith was nodding seriously beside his boyfriend.

“I-Matt doesn’t like me like that. We’re _friends_. Roommates. I’m not going to mess that up with feelings. And we do NOT act like a married couple.” Shiro stressed, willing the blush he knew was there to dissipate. It was too damn early to be dealing with this.

“We just want you to be happy, Shiro.” Keith said quietly and dammit, he was giving Shiro such an imploring look.

“Matt clearly cares for you! That year that you were gone-”

“Lance!” Keith hissed, shooting him a death glare as Shiro froze.

“Okay, okay I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. But, Shiro, he _never_ stopped looking for you. I think he barely slept that entire time.”

“I know that.” Shiro sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. His prosthetic whirred quietly with the movement, a constant reminder of what happened to him. “I just-”

“Shiiirrooooooo!” A voice called out from the entryway.

Shiro glanced over his shoulder to see Matt stumbling through the front gate, his hair a rumpled mess and his shirt wrinkled. His Star Wars themed tie (gifted to him by Shiro) was crooked and not tied properly at all. The brunette made a beeline for his partner, leaning over his chair and latching onto Shiro’s back like a particularly aggressive octopus.

“Shiro!” He moaned mournfully, resting his chin on Shiro’s shoulder. “I didn’t realize until this morning that I had no coffee left! And I didn’t have time to stop and get some! How am I going to get through the day without my sweet, sweet nectar?”

Shiro felt his lips twitch into a soft smile. He leaned over and grabbed the coffee cup he had brought in earlier. “It’s OK, I saw you were out, so I grabbed you one.”

Matt squealed right in Shiro’s ear as he grabbed the coffee and held it up in awe. “My hero!” He wrapped his hands around the cup cradling it like it was the most precious thing in the world. He took a sip, actually moaning over it.

Shiro could feel Lance and Keith giving him The Look but he refused to acknowledge it.

Finally, Lance broke through Matt’s moans. “Dude, get a room.”

Matt’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and he leaned in closer to Lance, which coincidentally pressed him up against Shiro’s back. “Okay, first of all? Rude. Second, you don’t get to say that to me. Not after I walked in on you and Keith in the supply clo-”

“La, la, la, not listening!” Lance shouted, sticking his fingers in his ears. He jumped off Shiro’s desk, blowing a kiss to Keith. “I’m off to get my beauty sleep. I’ll see you later tonight, babe!” And with that he fled.

Keith groaned and put his face in his hands to hide his blush.

Matt’s grin turned smug. “My Lance-wrangling skills are top notch, I must say. Try not to be too impressed.”

Shiro shook his head in amusement. He could feel Matt still draped over his back like a warm blanket. It was nice.

“Well, I’m going to get back to work. Shiro, send me the translated notes when you’re done and I’ll get them to Lance.” Keith said before wandering off to his desk.

“Mmmm coffee...” Matt muttered as he detached from Shiro and stepped over to his own desk. Their desks were situated back-to-back. The organized chaos of Matt’s wobbled perilously when he sat down. “Wait, translation?”

“Your writing continues to baffle all who read it.” Shiro replied, eyes flicking over his new emails.

Matt sniffed disdainfully. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mmhmm.”

Shiro glanced up at Matt, watching as he tapped a rhythm onto his computer desk with one hand, the other flicking through his own emails. Matt, topped up on caffeine, was strangely more docile than usual. He was the only person Shiro knew that calmed down after drinking coffee. He still couldn’t drink it close to bed time without staying awake all night, but other than that it didn’t affect him the same way. Shiro thought it was cute.

Shiro thought a lot of things about Matt were cute.

This also included Matt’s brain. Matt’s brain was, frankly, terrifying. Shiro supposed that was part and parcel of having an IQ so frighteningly high. Matt was the kind of genius that could acquire a new language in just a few months or decide one night he wanted to learn astrophysics and actually, you know, learn astrophysics.

Apparently, it was a Holt trait because his whole family was like that. Shiro assumed they only kept him around because he was able to reach the top shelves without needing a ladder.

“Good morning, gentlemen.” A voice interrupted Shiro’s thoughts.

“Captain.” Shiro straightened in his chair, back going stiff. “Good morning.”

“Princess, yo.” Matt lazily saluted, hardly glancing up from his screen.

Captain Allura Altea twitched. “Do you want me to spill your fresh coffee on your lap? Because I will.”

“Nooooo.” Matt moaned, clutching his cup to him like a mother would her newborn. “My precioussssss.”

Allura narrowed her eyes at Matt before her smile turned bright. Too bright. Alarm bells started ringing in Shiro’s head.

“New file for you boys. A nice, juicy murder.”

Matt seemed oblivious to the dangerous aura surrounding their captain. “No shit, really!? Oh, please be a drug dealer, please be a drug dealer-”

“It’s a cashier at Wal-Mart.”

“Oh.” Matt drooped.

“But we suspect he’s a drug dealer, yes.”

“Yes!” Matt whooped, giving Shiro a blinding grin. “Another one bites the dust!”

Shiro smiled back, unable to help himself when confronted with such enthusiasm.

“Yes, perfect.” Allura slapped the file onto Shiro’s desk. “Please investigate the scene and then I need you to go door-to-door and interview everyone in the apartment complex.”

Matt froze, finally registering the danger in the room. “Apartment complex?”

“Mmmhmm.”

“How many floors?”

Allura laughed. The sound had just a hint of malicious enjoyment in it. She turned to head back to her office.

“Captain!” Matt called out, looking worried. “How many floors?”

“Better get on it, boys!” Her smile was all teeth. She closed the door behind her with a quiet click.

Shiro leaned forward with trepidation, slowly opening the folder to examine the details.

“Oh God, Shiro. It’s bad isn’t it? I know it is! I don’t want to spend all day going door-to-door. I hate door duty. She’s got it in for us! Ever since she took over for Iverson she seems to take great pleasure in toying with me! Underneath that fucking gorgeous exterior is a demon. A demon!”

“I think it’s more of the fact that you’re always late, you call her Princess even though she is your Captain, your reports are half-assed and the first day you saw her you flirted with her. Poorly.”

“I couldn’t help it! Did you see her hair?”

“Yes, Matt.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m gay. Like, super gay.”

“I know.”

“I like mens.”

“I know.”

“Super, duper, shitting rainbows out of my ass gay.”

“It’s a 56-floor high rise.”

Matt stared at him, horrified.

“There are 336 units.” Shiro added.

Matt whimpered.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt surveyed the victim’s apartment. “I thought drug dealers made a lot of money?” He asked, nudging stray take-out boxes with his foot. He crinkled his nose, taking in the chaotic mess. Bags of garbage littered the entryway, some still open and spilling their contents onto the stained laminate floor. It looked like every plate and utensil the guy owned was stacked haphazardly in the sink right next to the entrance. There was enough mold coating them that he couldn’t even tell what food had been on them in the first place. Flies buzzed around the entire apartment and it reeked like a teenage boy’s locker room that had had sex with a flatulent skunk.

Shiro inspected the front door. “No signs of forced entry.” He groaned, covering his nose. “It shocks me that people live like this.”

“Ah, reminds me of my frat house days…” Matt said wistfully, looking off into the distance.

“You never joined a fraternity. We just hung out in your basement and played D&D.”

“Well, if I _had_ joined a fraternity, I feel like it would be like this.”

“You’re gross.” Shiro snorted, carefully stepping over a mound of dirty clothes.

“Your face is gross.” Matt stuck out his tongue, moving to follow his partner when something darted out from underneath the clothing. With a startled shriek, Matt jumped onto Shiro’s back without warning. The other man stumbled forward at the sudden weight but managed to balance himself before he fell over.

“What the hell, Matt?”

“ _It was a rat_!”

“Oh yeah, we named that one Charlie.” One of the forensic technicians poked her head into the kitchen, nodding to them. Her bright pink hair was startling in the dim, dingy apartment.

Matt clung to Shiro’s back tighter. “That’s a stupid name for a rat, Ezor.”

She scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m not the one that named his dog Rover.”

“I didn’t name it, my sister did! You take that back!”

“Children.” Shiro interrupted, but Matt could hear the tinge of amusement in his voice. “Enough arguing. Besides, clearly it should be named Sir Cheese-a-lot.”

Matt rolled his eyes and finally climbed down from Shiro’s back. “You disgust me.”

“Would you all shut up about the stupid rat and get your asses over here?” Another voice snapped from the living room.

“We love you too, Zethrid!” Matt grinned, stepping past Shiro and through the doorway leading to the living room.

Zethrid, Narti and Acxa were spread out, documenting various areas. Including Ezor, these four fine ladies were some of the best forensic technicians around. Matt always liked working with them.

“What have you found so far?” Shiro asked, pulling out his notebook and flipping it open with a dramatic flourish. He gave Matt a sly look, completely aware that it annoyed the hell out of him when he did that, the bastard. They were not on a stupid procedural cop show, no matter how much Lance liked to pretend on Snapchat and Instagram.

“The victim was found where you see him. It looks like it was an anonymous tip that called it in.” Acxa nodded professionally.

As Shiro surveyed his notes, Matt walked slowly around the corpse, careful not to touch anything. They’d probably already photographed the scene from every angle imaginable, but he wanted to look at it untainted.

The victim was young, in his late teens or early twenties. He had pure, white hair (poorly dyed) and was shirtless, the only item of clothing the brown pants he was wearing. The kid was laying awkwardly, half on his side and half on his back as if he’d been in the process of turning around when he was shot. A large amount of blood had pooled around his corpse, just starting to congeal. Most of the blood seemed to be from the head. Matt crouched down to take a closer look and, sure enough, a large chunk of his face was blasted off, indicating a shot from behind.

“Well, it looks like it would have been instant, at least.” He sighed, standing back up to examine the room.

“I’ll say! I’m finding bits of skull bone all the way over here.” Ezor exclaimed from the other end of the room.

“That’s so cool.” Zethrid grinned.

“Zethrid! This was a living, breathing human being. Stop that.”

Zethrid glared at Acxa, turning back to her section and muttering darkly to herself.

Shiro knelt next to two broken glasses on the floor near the victim. His shoes seemed to be sticking to the floor around the broken glass. Matt assumed the area surrounding them was gummy, possibly from juice for some other liquid that had been in the cups. “Any bullet casings found?”

Narti pointed to the far wall near Ezor. There was a small hole in the drywall and Matt squinted at it.

“Just the one?”

“Haven’t seen anything else yet.” Acxa said.

Matt turned back to see Shiro contemplating the angles.

“No signs of forced entry.” Matt supplied, hand on chin. “It’s likely the victim knew his killer.”

Shiro nodded. “I can agree with that. These broken glasses indicate that he may have been bringing his killer a drink. Unless there was more than one guest? Let’s just role play for a second.” He said, standing up.

Matt gave him a serious look. “Okay, but you should know my safe word is ‘broccoli’.”

Shiro choked, turning beet red and Ezor actually dropped her camera, though Narti caught it before it crashed into the floor.

“Matt!” Shiro hissed. He was still blushing, and he looked so fucking cute.

“Sweetums, you know I have no shame.”

“Would you two just do us all a favour and bang already?” Zethrid said, sounding bored.

“Please don’t.” Acxa muttered.

Matt sniffed imperiously, moving closer to Shiro. “Don’t kink shame us, Acxa. If Shiro wants to call me ‘sir’ in bed while I spank him, that’s our prerogative.”

Shiro groaned, covering his face with his prosthetic hand. Matt winked at Ezor.

Acxa frowned. “Can you please take this seriously? This is a murder investigation.”

“Yes.” Shiro nodded as his back straightened. Sergeant Mode activated. Matt was sad to see the blush was gone. Damn his poker face. “Can you be mature for five minutes, Matt?”

“No.” Zethrid and Ezor replied simultaneously.

Matt didn’t even bother fighting that. When you’re right, you’re right.

“I’ll be the murderer.” Shiro moved to stand by the kitchen entrance.

Matt pouted. “Why do you always get to be the murderer? Let me kill you for once.”

“Because, the location of the bullet hole indicates the gun was pointed downwards. I’m taller than you.”

“So? You’re taller than everyone. I’ll sit on Zethrid’s shoulders if it bothers you that much.”

Shiro sighed and moved into the kitchen. He mimed holding two glasses. “For the sake of preventing you and Zethrid from actually doing that, because I know you would, you can be the murderer.”

“Aww you do care!” Matt grinned, pretending to cock an imaginary gun. “I love you too, sugar lips.”

Zethrid crinkled her nose. “You guys are disgusting.”

Shiro walked out of the kitchen, still holding the two “glasses”. He moved to stand near the corpse and Matt moved up behind him at the right angle for the bullet hole.

“Bang.” Matt poked the back of Shiro’s head.

“Ow.”

“You’re not very good at this dying thing. Where’s Lance when I need him? He would be appropriately dramatic.” Matt sighed.

Shiro nodded to the couch nearby, ignoring Matt as usual. “I think it might be a good guess that there were at least two guests. The victim was shot from behind. If there had been only one guest, he would have walked into the room and noticed them missing and likely would have gone looking for them. With two guests, he could be distracted while the other came up from behind.”

“Seems plausible.” Matt agreed.

“There were signs of three different recent shoe imprints thanks to the victim’s less than stellar cleaning abilities.” Zethrid supplied, pointing to the markers.

“Alright. Record all that you find and send samples for testing where applicable. Let us know the results. We need to go interview family and friends, see if we can scrounge up any more info.” Shiro made a few notes in his notepad

“Yessir!” Ezor saluted.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro gently knocked on the door, sharing a glance with Matt. Notifying a parent that their son had been murdered was never an easy thing to do. People’s reactions to such news varied wildly, from tears to blank shock to denial.

Rolo only had one living parent, his mother. She lived in a small townhouse on the outskirts of town, shabby but tidy. There was a beat up old sedan in the driveway, green paint chipping off to reveal rust and corrosion from years of use.

A weary-looking woman answered the door, her blonde hair washed out and greying in places. Her blue eyes took in the two officers outside her door and she sighed.

“Tell Rolo he can bail himself out this time. I told him I wouldn’t help him out anymore.” She snapped, clearly annoyed and likely used to police showing up at her door.

Matt shot Shiro a look before holding out his hands placatingly. “Ma’am, would it be alright if we came in? We have some news to discuss.”

The irritated look on her face deepened, but she gestured them inside. Shiro followed behind Matt, taking in the entryway. The home was a bit messy, but nowhere near the trash heap that was Rolo’s apartment. There were some feminine touches here and there, such as flowers in a vase near the stairs and an assortment of candles on a table.

Rolo’s mother lead them to her living room and gestured for them to sit. She then lowered herself into her armchair with a sigh. “You mind if I smoke?” She inquired.

“Not at all, this is your home Ms. Reedus.” Shiro nodded politely.

She shrugged and grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the nearby side table. While she shook out a cigarette she gestured for them to proceed.

Matt took the lead. “Ma’am, I am Detective Holt and this is my partner, Detective Shirogane. We’re sorry to inform you that your son is dead.”

To Shiro’s surprise, the woman only shrugged. “It was bound to happen sooner or later, idiot boy.”

Matt and Shiro exchanged yet another glance.

“If you need some time to-“ Shiro began, but she cut him off with a dark laugh.

“If I told him once I told him a million times: getting involved in drugs and gangs was a sure way to get killed. Of course, you know teenagers, always thinking they know best.” She crossed her legs and blew out a puff of smoke at the ceiling. “One too many gangster movies, I guess, thought he would become some kind of big shot. I told him not to come back home until he’d screwed his head on right. Guess now he never will.”

“Nevertheless, we’re sorry for your loss.” Shiro said, clenching his jaw to prevent himself from grinding his teeth together.

She shrugged again. “He probably deserved it.”

“Do you mind if we ask you some questions?” Matt inquired, taking out his own notepad.

“I suppose.”

“When was the last time you saw your son?” Shiro asked.

“I haven’t seen him for over four years. That’s when I told him to get out and not come back until he’d cleaned up his life.”

Shiro’s stomach sank. If she hadn’t seen him in that long, it was unlikely that she had any good information to provide. Regardless, they questioned her as thoroughly as they could with her outdated knowledge. In the end, it wasn’t much.

It was a tale that Shiro had heard many times before. Rolo started getting into drugs in his early years of high school. He’d gotten in with the wrong crowd and soon enough started dealing to his classmates on the side. His mother didn’t know who was supplying him the drugs to sell, only that she’d seen a few unsavory characters around a few times she came home early from work. She was unable to describe them with any sort of accuracy after so long.

Rolo had been arrested on numerous occasions for possession and dealing but had the uncanny ability to talk himself out of trouble. He’d been slapped on the wrist and told not to do it again. A failure to him, as it turned out. After the third time of using her savings to bail out her son, Ms. Reedus had told Rolo to leave and not to come back until he got his act together. Since then, she hadn’t heard from him at all.

“Is there anyone else that he was close to that we might be able to speak with?” Matt asked.

Ms. Reedus hummed as she stubbed out her second cigarette. “If he’s still dating that gold-digger Nyma, she might be able to tell you more. Otherwise, his best friend goes by Beezer. Never heard him called by any other name.”

Shiro and Matt thanked her and Shiro left his business card with her in case she thought of anything else. They made their way out of the home and back into the sunshine.

“It’s so nice to see such a loving family.” Matt sighed as they climbed back into their vehicle. “Really warms my heart.”

“It can’t be easy dealing with a child like that. I’m sure she tried her best.”

“Right. Sure.”

Shiro didn’t really believe it either, but it wasn’t really his business. At least she’d been able to provide them the names of two people who might have more information. He took a moment to radio the police station for someone to look into the contact details for the girlfriend and the best friend.

Matt grinned. “Might take some time for them to look up the info. Wanna buy me lunch?”

“Isn’t it your turn to pay?”

“Would I lie to you, Shirogane?”

“You’re lying to me right now.”

Matt pouted. “Fine, fine. Can’t blame a guy for trying. Let’s go get some burritos!”

Shiro immediately shook his head as he turned the vehicle on. “No. Not again. I am not sitting in a car with you after you’ve eaten burritos.”

Matt gasped dramatically. “I don’t like your insinuations, sir!”

“What insinuations? The truth is real.”

Shiro smiled to himself as Matt howled in mock outrage. His heart was doing that little flip flop it often did around Matt. As usual, he tried to ignore the feeling.

He wasn’t very good at it.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt shifted uncomfortably in the luxurious armchair to no avail. Well, maybe some people would call it luxurious, but he couldn't help but resent the fact that the extra plush resulted in him feeling like he was going to end up sinking right through the cushions. He glared at the girl sitting on the couch across from him as if she was somehow responsible for a sentient, Matt-eating armchair. They’d tracked Rolo’s girlfriend to the local university campus. She was a first-year student living in the dorms and they’d had to pull her out of class in order to discuss the murder.

Nyma Chabert was stunningly beautiful. Her blonde hair fell just past her shoulders in thick ringlets and her eyes were a striking purple colour. Contacts, Matt assumed, but nevertheless effective. She was wearing a blue crop top and pants, which just served to show off her figure.

Nyma’s dorm room was lavishly decked out. She was clearly not a starving student. Thick drapes, a veritable mountain of pillows and a plush rug adorned the small room. Jewellery covered every surface, some even hanging off lamps or mirrors. Matt glanced at her criminal record. She’d only been caught once for stealing and hadn’t been persecuted for it. Her name, however, had shown up multiple times in connection to men involved in gangs and other shady business dealings.

“Miss Chabert, thank you for taking the time to talk with us.” Shiro was the first to speak. To Matt’s internal annoyance, it didn’t look like his chair was trying to eat him alive.

Nyma leaned back on her couch gracefully, slinging an arm over the back of it. “Of course, detective.”

“We are led to believe that you may be or recently had been dating Mr. Rolo Reedus, is that correct?” Shiro continued.

“I am currently dating him, yes.”

“When was the last time you spoke to him?” Matt asked.

Nyma paused, considering. “Yesterday afternoon, I think. He’d called to confirm dinner plans for tonight. Usually we have dinner together every night, but last night he had other plans.”

Shiro nodded, making note. “Do you know what those plans were?”

Matt watched Nyma closely as she shrugged with forced casualness. “I couldn’t tell you, since I have no idea.”

Matt took a moment to scratch his ear with two fingers, a secret signal between himself and Shiro that they’d put together over time. Lying.

Shiro nodded again, as if to himself.

“Are you able to tell us about any friends or acquaintances of his?” Matt asked.

Nyma blinked before leaning towards him suddenly. The movement caused her cleavage to be on full display, something Matt was certain was not an accident. “May I ask what all of this is about? Is Rolo in trouble or something?”

Matt gave her a look to indicate he wasn’t too impressed with her tactics before leaning back in his chair. Shit, the chair was eating him again. He squirmed, trying to free himself from it’s clutches.

“There has been some trouble, Miss Chabert.” Shiro answered.

Matt could see the calculation in Nyma’s eyes as she abruptly changed targets, leaning towards Shiro instead and even fluttering her gorgeous eyelashes at him. Matt barely contained his snort. If she thought she’d be more successful with Shiro, she was barking up the wrong tree.

Nyma Chabert was used to getting what she wanted from men too stupid enough to realize her attentions would bring nothing but heartache and an empty wallet. Unlucky for her, Matt and Shiro were the worst possible pairing for her to encounter. Matt, being gay, wasn’t particularly interested in her assets. Shiro, though interested in both men and women, was demisexual and unlikely to be interested in a stranger. They were not the kind of people Nyma could take advantage of.

Now, if Lance was here…

Matt really didn’t want to think about that. It would be the fifth time they had to rescue him from just such a scenario.

“Miss Chabert, we are sorry to have to tell you that Rolo is dead.” Shiro said grimly, giving her a sympathetic look.

Matt expected fake tears and over-the-top sorrow. He did not expect wide eyes staring at Shiro in shock. He did not expect to see her face just crumble as she suddenly sobbed. She shook her head back and forth, as if she just couldn’t- no, didn’t want to believe it. Tears splashed onto her lap, soaking into the fabric. They weren’t pretty tears, oh no, she was full-on ugly crying, mascara running down her face to mix with snot. She was devasted.

Matt glanced at Shiro in alarm and was gratified to see that he also looked surprised at this reaction. They had been thinking of Nyma as a gold digger, using Rolo for his money and preparing to throw him to the side once she was done with him.

Shiro pulled out some tissue from his pocket and handed the packet to Nyma. She was barely able to nod her thanks as she continued to cry.

Matt took a look at his notes. If Nyma had been dating Rolo since before he was kicked out by his mother, then that meant they’d been dating for over four years. That was way too long for a gold digger to stick around a fledgling drug dealer. He wouldn’t have enough money to make it last, especially considering the other criminals Nyma had been connected to in the past.

Matt had to change his initial outlook. It was likely that Nyma and Rolo were high school sweethearts. They were in love. Nyma supported Rolo by enticing rival drug dealers and stealing their money, information, connections, whatever it took to benefit them both.

It took awhile for Nyma to calm down enough to speak. Her eyes were swollen and red and she clutched a tissue in her hand. “What happened to him?”

Matt pinned her with an intense look. “We believe he was murdered, Nyma. Any information you can give us will go towards catching his killer.”

Nyma looked between the two of them, nodding slowly. “Last night he was supposed to meet with two members of some gang he was trying to get into.”

Matt made some notes as Shiro gestured for her to continue.

“His current gang is so small. He was never going to be able to go far with them. But he’d recently met some guy that offered to help him get into this big gang. I don’t know the name of it, but apparently, it’s huge. With that kind of influence, Rolo felt he could go far.”

“Do you know what time they were supposed to be meeting?” Shiro asked.

Nyma paused, considering. “I think it was supposed to be quite late. Maybe midnight.”

“Is there anything else you can think of? Anything at all.” Matt added.

Nyma shook her head. “I usually stay away from those kind of things. It wouldn’t do for people to know how…how c-close Rolo and I were.” She sniffed, tears welling in her eyes again. “Beezer might be able to tell you more. He was supposed to go last night too but had to cancel.”

Matt perked at that. “Beezer. His name was brought up by Rolo’s mother. Can you tell us more about him?”

“Beezer? He’s Rolo’s best friend. Been together since childhood. They got into so much shit together.” She smiled slightly, her lips wobbly. “He’s not going to take this news well either.”

“Does he have a real name? We’re assuming Beezer isn’t his actual name.” Shiro asked.

“Oh, his name is Brian Beezer but he just goes by his last name.”

“Do you have his contact info?”

Nyma reached for her phone, scrolling through the contacts and reading out the number. Matt and Shiro asked her a few more questions but she didn’t have much more information to provide.

“Do you have someone that can stay with you? Family? A friend?” Shiro asked as they got up to leave and Matt handed her his business card.

“I will call my sister.” Nyma nodded, still wiping away the occasional tear.

“Alright then, take care Miss Chabert.”

Matt reached for the door handle when Nyma stopped them.

“Did…did he suffer?” She asked quietly.

Shiro glanced at Matt before turning back towards her. “It would have been quick.”

She nodded, giving them a tremulous smile. “That’s good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 is done! New chapters will be posted each Sunday. There are 6 chapters in total. 
> 
> Please feel free to talk to me about Voltron on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tsuki-san16). :)


	2. Chapter 2

“This is painful. Why did I let you two drag us into this?”

“Because you’re my sister and you love me?”

Pidge paused, tapping her mouth with her finger. “No, that doesn’t sound right.”

“Because Shiro asked you to?” Hunk guessed, reviewing their notes from the interviews.

“Yeah, I think that’s probably it. You're a genius, Hunk.”

Hunk grinned, giving his partner a high five.

“I hate you both.” Matt groaned as he stretched his back awkwardly over the back of his chair. They were sitting in a McDonald's, taking a break from interviewing the residents of the ridiculously enormous apartment complex. They'd been going door-to-door for _hours._ He'd already seen two nearly naked old women and some guy that was definitely high on marijuana.

“What can I say, Matt? Shiro's just way cooler than you.” Pidge smirked.

“Pidge! Whatever happened to literal bros before h-”

“Don't call me a hoe, Matt.”

Matt snapped his mouth shut as Shiro carefully placed two trays on their table before sitting down next to him. Matt immediately tried to steal some fries from Pidge's container but Shiro slapped his hand away without even looking. Damn him.

“I was going to call you a high-class hoe. You know, like those ones that celebrities and politicians buy Maserati's for.”

“Wow, that makes me feel so much better.”

“You're worth it, stud muffin.” Matt winked, fluttering his eyelashes at his best friend. “Your milkshake brings all the boys to the ya-ow! _Pidge_!”

“That’s retaliation for trying to steal my fries. Stop flirting with Shiro and eat your own damn food. Besides, we all already know you could never afford him.”

“Why, thank you, Pidge.” Shiro sounded so honoured.

Matt grumbled but did as he was told. It was best not to try and fight his sister. It was a battle he would never win.

Plus, she was right. Shiro would cost way too much for him.

But he’d so be worth it.

No, no. He needed to stop thinking like that.

“Did you guys get any interesting info?” Shiro asked as he speared a piece of lettuce with his plastic fork. What kind of idiot got a salad at a McDonald's? Shiro, apparently. The sacrifices that man made for his hot body made Matt cringe. He liked food way too much to make the effort.

Though, maybe he should tell Shiro the salads were just as bad for him as the burgers.

Hunk hummed while he finished chewing. “Not really. A couple people claimed to hear what might have been gunshots but only one or two bangs. Most of them figured it was something else and went back to sleep.”

Shiro slumped nearly imperceptibly, but then he straightened out again with a smile. “Well, we appreciate your help regardless. Thanks to you we should be able to finish these interviews today. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

Pidge and Hunk seemed to glow with pride at their sergeant's words. Shiro always had that kind of effect on people for as long as Matt had known him. It was the kind that lifted others and encouraged them to strive for greatness. He was going to be an amazing captain at some point, Matt just knew it.

It was a never-ending source of amusement for Matt that people’s first impressions of Shiro were “jock” and “asshole hipster”. At the Police Academy, many of their fellow recruits snubbed Shiro and some were outright hostile, especially after he rose to the top of their class. Matt would watch in fierce satisfaction whenever one of them actually _talked_ to Shiro and were smacked in the face with his earnest desire to help and guide anyone that asked for his assistance. That, coupled with his steadfast politeness, swiftly turned many of the haters into swooning sycophants. It was as pathetic as it was hilarious.

“Of course, the property manager was a useless fucktard who couldn’t string two words together.” Pidge added, jabbing a French fry at them as she spoke.

“Language.” Shiro interjected.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Fine. The property manager was a pediculous quisquilian.”

Matt spit his drink all over his hamburger. Shiro and Hunk frowned.

“Is that even English?” Hunk asked.

Pidge gave him a smug grin. “Look it up.”

“This is you, though. I’m not sure I want to.”

Matt thumped his chest, coughing. He looked up at Pidge and managed to choke out a few words. “I’m so proud of you right now.”  

Pidge preened.

“Perhaps, but now your hamburger is seasoned with soda.” Shiro pointed out.

“Just enhances the flavour, buttercup.”

“As I was saying,” Pidge cut in, taking a sip from her own drink. “The property manager chose to put some money into his own pockets instead of keeping the security cameras in working order. So, they were there, but they weren’t working.”

“Just once I’d like to see a place that isn’t tainted by corruption of some kind.” Hunk groaned, leaning back in his seat.

“That would take away a large portion of our work, though.” Pidge pointed out.

“Why do you have to throw logic into this, Pidge?”

“I’m sorry, continue with your fantasy.”  


“Thank you.”

“Regardless,” Shiro said, pushing his tray away. “I’d like to finish the interviews today if we can. So, finish up and we’ll move out.”

Matt groaned and let his body slump onto his partner. “Shiro, nooooo. I can’t take anymore.” He lifted his arm towards him. “Carry me.”

Shiro gave him a bland smile. “You can walk if you want.”

“You’re so mean to me.”

Hunk snorted. “Oh yeah, Shiro’s _super_ mean.”

“I hate you all.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt dragged himself up the last few steps to what better damn well be the last floor for interviews, because if he had to do this for much longer he was going to shoot someone. They really shouldn’t let him walk around with a gun.

It was getting late anyway, the sun had set and it was pissing rain outside. Matt just wanted to curl up on their tiny couch and drink hot chocolate and watch Star Trek. Maybe roast some marshmallows in their fireplace because fuck you Hunk, he didn’t need to be camping to enjoy that ooey, gooey deliciousness.

Shiro liked to eat his burnt to a crisp because he was clearly uncultured swine.

Matt still loved him anyway.

“Please tell me this is the last floor.”

“This is the last floor.” Shiro turned to smile at him and Matt’s heart melted like the marshmallows he’d been daydreaming about. “Once we’re done here we can go home and I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”

Matt narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Did you become psychic while I wasn’t looking? Cause we promised each other we would say something if either of us got supernatural powers. Don’t hold out on me, honeybun.”

Shiro’s smile widened. “No, I just know you really well. Your mind is safe.”

“Probably a good thing, though. Not sure you’d survive being connected to this brilliance.” Matt pointed at his head and gave Shiro a wink.

“I don’t know, I’ve been basking in your ‘brilliance’,” and he paused here, his tone clearly dubious of the veracity of such a word being used for Matt’s brain. Asshole. “for a long time. It hasn’t scared me away yet. I think you’re stuck with me.”

Matt gave a dramatic sigh as he knocked on the first door in the hallway. “It’s so _hard_ being this smart, Shiro. It’s a burden, truly.”

Shiro snorted quietly.

After a few seconds the door swung open and a young man stood framed in the doorway. His brown eyes widened in alarm when they landed on Shiro. “Champion…” He whispered in awe, so quietly that Matt wasn’t sure they were supposed to hear it.

Matt could feel Shiro stiffen beside him but before he could say anything the man seemed to realize what he’d said and attempted to slam the door shut. With a furious growl, Matt slammed his hand on the door to prevent it from closing.

“Hey, buddy, we’d like to have some words with you.” He smiled, all teeth and no warmth.

“I don’t know anything!” The man stammered, eyes darting over to Shiro. God, he was shaking like crazy.

Matt took a moment to look at Shiro only to see that his eyes were glazed and not quite all there. Shit. Not a good time for a flashback. Matt shoved his foot in the doorway, effectively stopping the door from closing. He reached for the man, attempting to pull him out for questioning but the guy jerked back, shaking his head. Faster than Matt would have given him credit for, the man pulled out a switchblade and desperately slashed out through the gap in the doorway. With his foot blocking it from closing, Matt was right up against the gap. He tried to move away but, shit, he wasn’t going to be fast enough-

Matt heard an animalistic snarl and the hair on the back of his neck rose. It was a sound he hated to hear. It didn't sound like the Shiro he knew. Hell, it barely sounded human.

A metal hand darted out, lightning fast, pushing the man’s arm away from Matt. The knife just barely missed Matt’s eye, grazing his cheek instead and leaving a burning heat in it’s wake. He stumbled back and away from the door just as Shiro followed through on his attack, metal fingers wrapping around the man’s wrist, pulling him forward and twisting it viciously. There was an audible crack and the guy _screamed_ , the sound echoing down the empty hallway.

Matt didn’t even realize he’d pulled out his own gun, but he pointed it at the attacker anyway as Shiro kicked the man’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. The knife went flying, skidding underneath a nearby chair. Shiro went down with him, still gripping his wrist and swiftly secured him to the floor with his knees. The man moaned in pain, not even attempting to struggle free.

Well, looked like Shiro had knocked some sense into him, finally.

Matt stepped forward, gun pointed at the attacker’s head. The entire exchange had occurred in seconds. He glanced at Shiro. His partner was panting heavily. His eyes were still glazed but even as Matt watched he seemed to be trying to centre himself.

“You with me?” Matt asked, crouching down next to him with his handcuffs ready to go.

“Y-yeah.” Shiro murmured after an unsettling amount of time. He let go so Matt could handcuff the assailant. His regular hand was trembling. Matt pretended not to notice as Shiro started to recite the Miranda Rights on auto-pilot.

He didn’t even attempt to be gentle while he secured the handcuffs, though he winced internally at the twisted wrist. That had to be painful.

“And what did we learn?” He asked their captive, but the man just moaned again.

“Matt! Shiro!” Pidge’s voice sounded alarmed and Matt turned to see her and Hunk hurrying down the hall towards them. There were a few residents with their heads popped out of their doors, looking around with frightened curiosity, but they retreated quickly when they saw the group of officers.

“What happened? Is everyone okay? Do I need to open a can of whoop-ass? We heard screaming, we thought-” Hunk cut off his own babbling, wringing his hands nervously. “Sorry.”

“We’re fine.” Matt assured him, patting his shoulder genially. “Just dealing with idiocy. All in a day’s work.”

“You’re bleeding.” Pidge glared, grabbing his face none too gently to get a closer look at the cut.

“Ow, ow Pidge!”

“Did he attack you guys with a _knife_?” Pidge rolled her eyes, thankfully stepping away from Matt and releasing his abused face.

“Not his brightest moment, sure.” Matt agreed, rubbing his face and wincing when the cut stung something fierce.

Pidge glanced over at Shiro who was standing way too still and didn’t seem to be paying attention. “We’ll take care of booking in this idiot. When you’re done here head back over to the precinct and we’ll have him all ready for you to have chat.”

Hunk nodded enthusiastically, joining Pidge as she pulled at their captive’s handcuffs to help tug him to his feet, heedless of his injured wrist.

“We’re taking you back to the precinct and we’re gonna have a little chat, got that?” Pidge hissed.

“Oh god, please, I don’t wanna die.” The man’s voice was high pitched in terror and likely pain.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “We’re not going to kill you. Even if you’re stupid enough to attack two armed police officers with a knife.” She jabbed the guy in the back, purposefully bumping his injured wrist. “Let’s go, Hunk.”

Matt gave the two of them a grateful smile and turned away to check on Shiro. He was leaning against the nearby wall, body stiff and hands clenched. A classic sign that he was embarrassed. Well, that just wouldn’t do.

“Shirooo…”

Shiro’s eyes darted towards him briefly, but he looked back down before Matt could grab his attention fully.

“Hey. Don’t close up on me now, sweet-pea.” Matt murmured, slowly reaching for his partner and placing his hand on the back of his neck. He used that to pull Shiro forward so their foreheads touched. “You saved me again. At this rate I’m never gonna be able to repay you.”

Shiro closed his eyes, his smile broken and fragile and so, so different than it used to be. Back before…everything. “Just having you here is payment enough.”

Matt felt his breath hitch at that, heart pounding. He wanted. He’d never wanted anything so badly. But as usual, tendrils of anxiety crawled down his spine like spiders. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take that chance. “Aw, Shiro, I might swoon!”

Deflect. Deflect. Don’t let anyone too close.

And just like that the moment was ruined. Shiro leaned back, visibly returning to leader mode. He narrowed his eyes at Matt’s cut. “We should disinfect that.”

Matt rolled his eyes, pulling away from his partner. His heart was still pounding, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d let himself down. As usual, he chose not to look too closely at that feeling. It would lead him nowhere good.

“Yes, mom.” He submitted to Shiro’s tender loving care, because of course he kept a few essential medical supplies on himself at all times. Inwardly he sighed. It was starting to look like he wasn’t going to get his hot chocolate.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro could feel his concentration waning as the elderly woman continued to force her entire life’s story on him and Matt. She was the last tenant of this stupid apartment complex and she was keeping him from interrogating their newest lead and cozying up with Matt on their couch to drink hot chocolate. After the earlier incident, all he wanted to do was sit down and relax.

Ha. He wasn’t really on the best of terms with relaxation. He hadn’t been since…

“And I just _know_ it was those homeless people sneaking in here and stealing my mail! Did I tell you I saw one of them come up to our floor? She saw me in the hallway and turned right back around but I know it was her!” The elderly woman, Ms. Olsen, continued to talk a mile a minute.

Didn’t she tell them this already? Shiro couldn’t remember. He’d stopped listening what felt like hours ago. He really hoped Matt was paying attention because he couldn’t really bring himself to care right now. He was just so tired.

_Champion…_

He hadn’t heard that in so long. He would have been fine if he’d never heard it ever again.

“And after I had my _second_ stay in the hospital, they told me I had cancer. I remember because this was two days after my sister passed away. They said I wouldn’t be able to go to her funeral. I was so devastated because two weeks before that our brother had gotten into an accident and lost his leg!”

Shiro’s arm throbbed with remembered pain. He clenched his teeth, trying to force himself to pay attention. He’d already slipped into a flashback once today, he would _not_ do it again. Carefully, he pinched his leg so he could use the pain to focus.

“And I _told_ that idiot Mr. Morvok that if he didn’t get his act together the police would be here for him and _look what happened_! And the _nerve_ , to attack an officer of the law! I do hope that cut isn’t too deep?”

“I’ll be fine, ma’am.” Matt replied, his voice still polite and friendly. “Thank you for this information, you’ve been very helpful.”

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t say very but I do what I can! Do either of you gentlemen have a business card? I can reach out to you if I think of anything else.”

Shiro watched as Matt made a show of patting his pockets.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He said mournfully, hitting the elderly woman with his most debonair smile. “We’ve interviewed so many people today I’m all out. But that’s alright, you’re welcome to call the precinct if you think of anything else.”

Ms. Olsen tittered coquettishly. “Who should I ask for?”

Matt gave her a blinding grin. “Just ask for McClain. Detective Lance McClain.”

 “Have a wonderful night, ma’am.” Shiro managed to say, trying not to feel bad for potentially unleashing this woman on a poor, unsuspecting Lance.

“Good night boys!” And finally, finally she closed the door.

“Oh my god, let’s get out of this place. I don’t want to see another apartment complex ever again.” Matt groaned.

“We live in an apartment complex.” Shiro pointed out as he followed Matt towards the elevator. “And Lance is going to get you back for this.”

“Shiro, my sweet honey cake, don’t you mean _us_? He’s going to get back at _us_. You didn’t stop me. Therefore, you are an accomplice.”

“I could deny it. It’s my word against yours and something tells me they would believe me over you.”

Matt didn’t even pretend offense. “Probably. But then you’ll have _me_ as an enemy. Do you want that, Shiro? Do you? I know where you sleep.”

Shiro ducked his head to hide his smile as they stuffed themselves into the tiny elevator. Already Matt had managed to make him feel so much better just by being a dork. It was a special talent of his. “You’re right. I don’t think I could handle that.”

“Damn right you couldn’t. You’d be lost without me, Carebear.”

Even though he knew Matt was joking, the fact of the matter was that he was right. Shiro didn’t know what he would do if he lost Matt.

As they made their way to the front lobby, Matt reached for the front door.

“Pull.” Shiro called out.

“Oh my god.” Matt groaned, pulling the front door open. “How do you always know when I’m going to push a pull door?! Are you absolutely sure you’re not psychic?”

Shiro smiled again. “No, I’ve just watched you do it a thousand times so now I’ve taken pity on you and started warning you.”

“Well I don’t believe you. Just remember, I’m watching you, mister.”

Shiro absolutely did _not_ feel a thrill at that. Not at all.

**\-----------------------------------------------------------------------**

Shiro stared through the two-way mirror, taking in the shaking form of David Morvok. His hands were handcuffed to the table and even from this distance Shiro could see them trembling. His eyes darted about the room nervously, never staying in one place too long. It was the look of a man that knew he was in trouble.

“This is the man that attacked you and Matt?” Allura asked, moving up beside him with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand.

Shiro crossed his arms. “That’s him.”

“Not very bright, that one.”

Shiro shrugged. “He seems to know about my history. He might know more about what happened with the victim.”

She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. She paused as if steeling herself for what she was about to say next. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

“You sure you’re okay interviewing him?”

He was right. He didn’t like it.

Shiro frowned. “He’s securely restrained.”

Allura turned to him, giving him an unimpressed look. “Don’t play dumb, you’re not good at it.” 

Shiro glared at her, but it was half-hearted at best. He was too tired to make much of an effort. “I’m fine. It was just a surprise. That’s all.”

She gave him a searching look before nodding. “I trust you to know your limits, Shiro. Don’t make me regret that belief.”

Shiro offered her a tired smile.

“Now come on, you’ve got a perp to interview and then I want you to go home and rest.”

“Of course, Captain.”

They headed back into the lobby and Shiro sidled up to Matt. His partner was chatting with Lance, Keith and Pidge over by their desks. “Are you ready?” He asked.

“I’m always ready for you, baby-doll.”

“I think that term is meant for women.” Pidge said.

“I stand by what I said.”

“Excuse me, we were in the middle of a conversation.” Lance interrupted, hands on his hips. “You’re just gonna leave me for that hussy?”

Matt’s face went from grinning to melodramatically serious. Shiro and Pidge groaned simultaneously, and Keith frowned. Oh no. It was coming.

Matt reached for Lance’s face, cupping it gently. “Though it pains me greatly, I must leave you.” 

Lance’s eyes went big and round, actual honest-to-god tears welling up in them. He held Matt’s hand in his own, tilting his head towards it. “I can’t watch you leave. Not again.”

Matt looked away at something in the distance. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

Lance’s whimpered and turned away from him, stepping back. Matt’s hand fell back to his side like dead weight. Lance clasped his own hands to his chest. “You always leave me, in the end.”

Hunk rolled his chair over next to Shiro, a bag of popcorn in his lap. “Oh, is it a new episode of Lance and Matt’s Drama Theatre?”

“Yes.” Shiro and Pidge deadpanned at the same time. Keith put his head into his hand. This whole thing had started over a year ago, brief little “shows” with actual story progression. At first it seemed that they were just trying to one-up each other, but once they realized many people enjoyed the show, they kept it up.

By this point, Lance and Matt had already gathered a crowd of fellow officers. Some looked riveted on the drama unfolding before them while others just looked amused. Even the people stuck in the holding cells were watching.

“I need to leave.” Matt growled. “I’ve been trying to avenge my dead sister for ten years. I ain’t stopping now.”

“Don’t do this to me. Don’t you leave me alone again.” Lance cried, tears streaming down his face and making his blue eyes stand out. “Don’t you know that vengeance leads only to heartbreak!?”

Matt turned away, looking like the movement caused him physical pain. He clenched his hands at his sides, looking at the ground. “It doesn’t matter what you say. I’m leaving and I’m never coming back. Don’t wait for me.”

Lance took a step towards him, placing a hand on his bicep. “I ain’t quittin’ you.”

Shiro saw Matt’s lips briefly twitch into a smile as he tried to contain his laughter and remain in character. Eventually he pushed Lance’s hand off his arm and stepped away. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

“No!” Lance sobbed, falling to his knees dramatically as Matt walked away.

“No…” Another voice whispered and Shiro looked over to see Allura sniffling beside him and dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Hunk also had tears in his eyes, shaking his head sadly.

 “I just wanted them to be happy…” Another officer standing near Allura mumbled.

“That’s the show, folks!” Lance grinned, jumping to his feet and giving them all a grand bow. The precinct burst into applause. “Tune in next time for another amazing episode of Lance and Matt’s Drama Theatre!”

“We will be signing autographs for the next half hour!” Matt called out, returning to the room.

“No, no autographs.” Shiro said.

“Way to be a wet blanket, honey-pie.”

“We have a perp to interview.”

“Oh right!” Matt linked his arm with Shiro, dragging him towards the interrogation rooms. “Do you want to be the good cop or bad cop?”

“Considering he’s already terrified of me, I should probably be the bad cop.”

Matt smirked, stopping outside of the door. “Unleash your inner bad boy, Shiro. I know it’s in there, somewhere. Deep down.”

“Do you think you could handle it?” Shiro asked mischievously and to his immense enjoyment he got to see Matt’s eyes widen in shock as a blush spread across his cheeks.

“Oh dang, Shiro.”

Shiro turned away from him to hide his smile. Pushing open the door, he stepped into the room.

“Mr. Morvok!” Matt called out as he closed the door behind him and settled into one of the two empty chairs. “Our apologies for the wait. Paperwork regarding an attack on a police officer can be a pain, I’m sure you understand.” He smiled.

Shiro settled into his own chair, face stoic and closed off.

Morvok’s eyes darted towards Shiro, but he didn’t let them linger. He turned back to Matt.

“Don’t mind my friend here.” Matt said, gesturing to Shiro. “He doesn’t react kindly to people attacking me, as I’m sure you are aware.” He nodded to Morvok’s bandaged wrist.

“I-I’m sorry about this misunderstanding.”

Matt raised his eyebrows. “Misunderstanding? I don’t think we have a misunderstanding here, do you Shiro?”

“No.” Shiro growled and Morvok flinched. This was too easy.

“Let’s take a look at the events of tonight, shall we?” Matt said, consulting his notes. “Please keep in mind this conversation is being recorded, alright? So, we stopped by your apartment, room 2630, at approximately 6:12PM. Does that sound right to you?”

“Yes.” The man nodded.

“Before we could begin questioning you as to what you might know about the event which occurred the previous night, you called my partner ‘Champion’, correct?”

Shiro kept his face blank as Morvok’s eyes skittered over him once more.

“T-that’s right.”

“And upon realizing that you’d just made a terrible mistake, you decided it would be a good idea to close your door and run from us. Except I blocked the door. You then thought to make an even _worse_ decision and attack a police officer with a switchblade. Am I right?”

Morvok swallowed audibly. Sweat trailed down his temple. “Y-yes.”

“You called my partner ‘Champion’, a moniker that not many people know. If you know that name then you are aware of how he received it, yes?”

Morvok was visibly shaking now, fingers drumming nervously on the table top. “I-I believe so, yes.”

“And you still thought it was a good idea to attack us?”

“I-I don’t think I was thinking clearly at the time, sir.”

Matt smiled. It did not reach his eyes. “I suppose not.” He leaned back in his chair. “So, would you care to tell us what you know about Rolo Reedus?”

“I-I don’t know anything.”

Shiro leaned forward and watched as Morvok jerked back in his chair in fright.

“Mr. Morvok, please try to remember. Shiro is already in a bad mood and I’d rather not make it worse. If you tell us what you know, we might be more lenient on the assault charges.” Matt cut in smoothly.

Morvok looked pained. “If I say anything, they’ll _kill_ me.”

“Who?” Shiro snapped.

Morvok jumped. “I can’t say, I swear to you!”

“If it’s really that bad we can protect you.” Matt said soothingly, putting his arm on Shiro’s shoulder as if to calm him.

“You can’t protect me from them. They’ll find me.”

“We can send you far, far away. Protective custody has its benefits.” Matt pushed, giving him an imploring look. “I promise you.”

“I can’t…I can’t-“

“Tell us.” Shiro cut in, voice low and dangerous.

“I-I-I-I-“

Shiro slammed his hand on the table, the sound startlingly loud in the tiny room.

“It’s the Galra!” Morvok cried out, cringing back in his chair. “T-the Galra. Rolo thought to join them. He was supposed to meet with them that night.”

Shiro felt his blood run cold. The Galra.

Dark memories that he kept locked in the far recesses of his brain threatened to escape, tendrils of recollections wrapping around his brain and leeching away his sanity. He was supposed to have escaped from them. He was supposed to be free.

“How do you know this?” Matt asked, his voice decidedly less friendly. Underneath the table, he put a hand on Shiro’s knee. The warm weight helped to centre his spiralling thoughts.

“I work for them, but I’m not very high up on the chain of command. I-I-I just do minor tasks for them. They don’t trust me with anything else. T-they told me some shit was going down that night and to keep my head down. But when you showed up I panicked.”

Shiro looked over at Matt, face grim. If the Galra were making a move…

“Tell us everything.” Matt demanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think of Lance and Matt's relationship as them being "frienemies". They are friends but they jokingly act like enemies, constantly trying to one up each other. 
> 
> ....There may be more of Lance and Matt's Drama Theatre in future installments in this series.
> 
> Chapter three will be out next Sunday!


	3. Chapter 3

Matt ducked under the police tape, the flashing red and blue lights of his police vehicle reflected in his aviator sunglasses. He took them off casually, taking in the scene with exaggerated care. They were in the middle of Altea Park, or what was left of it, anyway. The trees in this area were charred, and the leaves were blackened and curled. The victim’s body was horribly burnt, the stench of cooked flesh still heavy in the air.

“Looks like the party was,” he paused, putting his aviators back on. “Lit.”

“You make me so sad.” Ezor said, shaking her head.

“Your face makes me sad.” Matt retorted, petulantly. He was so underappreciated.

From nearby, Zethrid laughed. “Your sister must just destroy you.”

“She does. All the time.” Shiro cut in as he crouched over the corpse. He had a grin on his face, so Matt took that as a win.

“No one appreciates my genius.” With an over dramatic sigh, Matt removed his glasses again and tucked the arm over his shirt pocket. “What have we got, ladies?”

“The remains of a barbeque.” Zethrid deadpanned.

“I’m not sure I’d want to eat at this barbeque.” Shiro said.

“Everyone’s a cannibal if you’re hungry enough, baby-cakes.” Matt winked.

“I’m not even going to comment on that. Acxa?”

Acxa stepped up, eyes scanning her notepad. “A tip was brought forward by an informant from within the Galra telling us to check the park. We located the body at around 5:13AM. There are several sets of footprints, two of which may be a match with the two at Rolo Reedus’ apartment. We’ll get some impressions done to confirm. The victim’s burns are so severe he is unrecognizable, but we did find this wallet nearby.” She pointed to a yellow marker with the number 12 on it. “We believe it belongs to the victim, but that can’t be confirmed until analysis is done. At this time, there are no witnesses.”

Shiro sighed just as Matt groaned. That meant more door-to-door adventures. Great.

Matt made his way over to the wallet. He waited until Narti gave him a nod to confirm he was okay to pick it up before donning his gloves. He gingerly picked up the wallet. It was made of genuine leather, worn in places but still relatively new. There was a logo on the front that Matt recognized as belonging to some fancy brand, but he wasn’t sure which one. Inside he found a few cards; it didn’t appear that any of them were missing. There was even a hundred-dollar bill still in the flap. He pulled out the driver’s license, taking in the photo and name.

“Brian Beezer. Looks like we found Rolo’s buddy.”

“We don’t know that yet.” Shiro warned, moving towards Matt to look over his shoulder. “But you’re probably right.”

“I’m _always_ right.”

Ezor and Zethrid burst into laughter. Matt sent them a withering glare.

Before Matt could unleash his wit and destroy them, he was interrupted by the arrival of Lance and Keith.

Keith had Lance’s phone in his hand and he looked distinctly unimpressed. Next to him, his K9 companion, Kolivan, stuck close to his side. Even with that sour look, Keith was still filming his boyfriend with the phone as Lance ducked under the police tape. Lance was wearing a pair of pink aviators as he strode towards the body. Taking it all in, he turned his head towards the camera with a dramatic flourish.

“Looks like this beefcake is,” he paused, whipping off his sunglasses. “Well done.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Matt’s was better.” Zethrid said.

Lance glared as he snatched his phone from Keith and started applying filters. “My fans would disagree, sweetheart.”

“Your enormous family doesn’t count as fans.”

“How _dare_ you-“

“Keith,” Shiro smiled, ignoring the brewing battle behind him with practiced ease. “I’m glad you were able to make it.”

Keith gave him a warm smile in return. “Anytime. I brought Kolivan. If there’s anything to find, he’ll sniff it out.”

Matt bent over Kolivan, extending his hand for a sniff. Kolivan snuffled at him for a moment before turning his head away. How a dog could manage to look unimpressed, Matt would never know.

“Why won’t you love me?” Matt whined, giving Kolivan a heartbroken look.

Keith smirked. “He has class.”

“I’ll have you know I’m chock full of class.”

“Class clown, maybe.” Shiro interjected and Matt groaned.

“You even sound like a dad with these jokes. You’re killing me.”

Shiro just chuckled and offered his own hand to Kolivan. The German Shepherd sniffed him briefly before excitedly licking his hand, tail wagging. Shiro gave Matt a superior look. Goddammit.

“He only likes you ‘cause Keith likes you.”

“Meaning he has good taste.” Keith said, running his hand along Kolivan’s back before scratching behind his ears. The dog gave a blissful sigh.

“Alright, if you could search the area with Kolivan and note anything you find, that would be great. Matt and I are going to head over to see if we can get a warrant and check out Mr. Beezer’s home.” Shiro ordered, pausing to glance over at Lance and the technicians.

Lance was currently making kung-fu jabbing motions at an indifferent Zethrid.

Shiro turned back to Keith. “Good luck.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro took a moment to inspect the exterior of the victim’s home. The house was part of a cul-de-sac, though the homes were widely spaced apart with tall fences in between offering privacy. Unlike the interior of Rolo’s apartment, the outside of this small house was immaculate. The modest lawn was carefully trimmed and watered, the lush green grass vibrant in the afternoon sun. There was a small garden full of blooming flowers and it looked well taken care of. Nothing was left lying around the yard and there was even a little bird feeder hanging off the branch of a large willow tree. It was perfect. Too perfect.

Matt frowned as he exited the vehicle, lifting his aviators away from his eyes so he could see better. “This house looks like it should be on the cover of a magazine. Are we sure this is the right place? There are honest-to-god garden gnomes, Shiro. _Garden gnomes_.”

Shiro took a moment to stretch, adjusting his suspenders. Matt had a point. This certainly didn’t look like the home of vicious drug dealers. The driveway was empty, but that didn’t necessarily mean no one was home. “Stay alert.” He gestured at Matt to follow him as he walked up the pristine walkway to the front door. There was a doormat out front that proudly read ‘There’s no place like home’ and a kitschy, country plaque on the door showcasing a puppy family. This was getting ridiculous.

“Aye, aye Cap’n.” Matt gave him a lazy salute before ringing the doorbell with a dramatic flourish. They both paused as, instead of the average ringing noise, the doorbell chimed out a song.

“What was that?” Shiro asked.

“I think that was Amazing Grace. I might actually vomit.” Matt groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I’m not cleaning it up.”

“This place doesn’t look like a drug house. I swear to God, if an old lady opens this door and offers us cookies, I am going to shoot our intel team. I will not be responsible for my actions.”

They waited for few seconds in silence before Shiro reached for the doorbell again.

“Don’t.” Matt warned.

Shiro gave him a pointed look, slowly moving his finger closer to the button.

“Don’t you dare, Shiro.”

With exaggerated care and a shit-eating grin on his face, Shiro pressed the button again. Matt squawked, “I hate you!” and clapped his hands over his ears dramatically.

“Lies.” Shiro smiled. With all the times Matt teased him, it was nice to get him back every once in awhile. “Looks like no one’s home.”

Matt pressed his face up against the window next to the door in an attempt to see inside. “Stupid frosted windows. It’s like they want privacy in their own home or something. Heathens.”

“Well, we have a warrant.”

Matt rubbed his hands together in anticipation before pulling out a small kit from his jacket pocket. Shiro watched as he carefully selected two tools and proceeded to attempt to pick the lock. Of the two of them, Matt was better at it and, frankly, enjoyed doing it way more than he probably should. Still, no one compared to Pidge. Her lockpicking talents were terrifying. Nothing was safe.

 As Matt fiddled with the lock, tongue sticking out slightly, Shiro reluctantly pulled his gaze from his partner to scan the neighbourhood. Things were quiet as it was the middle of the day and most people were probably working. Some of the houses showed signs of children, one had a small bicycle laying discarded in the driveway. Another home still had their Christmas decorations up. In the middle of April.

“Got it!” Matt cheered, pushing the door open gently.

“Nice job.” Shiro praised, turning back just in time to catch Matt’s blinding grin.

Shiro led the way into the house, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light after standing in the bright sunlight.

“Hello?” Matt called, tucking his aviator’s over the edge of his shirt pocket. “This is the Altea Police.”

No answering calls, no shouts of surprise. Perhaps there really wasn’t anyone home.

At first glance, the home appeared to be normal. The entryway opened up to a staircase that led to the upper level. They took a moment to quickly check the house to see if anyone was home, but as expected, it was empty. They returned to the entryway. To the left was a kitchen, just as neat and tidy as the exterior of the home. Matt headed to the kitchen while Shiro walked down the nearby hallway. It led to the living/dining room. A large sectional couch took up most of the living room along with an enormous 64” television against the far wall. The dining room had a decent-sized table covered in a lacey tablecloth. There was a large china cabinet near the kitchen displaying an antique dish set and covered in lace doilies.

This most definitely didn’t appear to be the house of a gang member. It looked like it belonged to an elderly couple.

And yet, something was off.

Shiro scanned the room more carefully, trying to look past the stereotypical “old people” furnishings, including the large picture of a rooster near the television (why did old people always have chicken décor?) and the decoupage on the walls.

There, by the dining room table. The hardwood flooring looked a bit dirty which was unusual for such a tidy home. Shiro dropped down to all fours, tapping the floor gently and feeling for any unusual cracks or bumps.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Shiro crawled forward, nearly under the table.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He pushed one of the chairs out of the way carefully.

Tap. Tap. Thunk.

Shiro grinned, knocking on the floor some more to gauge how big the hollow space was. Suddenly there was a loud wolf whistle behind him, startling him so badly he smashed his head into the bottom of the table.

“Jesus, Matt!” He growled, rubbing his head as Matt howled with laughter. “Don’t _do_ that.”

“What can I say? I like big butts, I cannot lie.”

Shiro rolled his eyes, backing out from under the table to give Matt the full effect of his glare.

“Oh please, I am immune to that look after all this time. So, what did you find?”

“I think there’s a hatch of some kind here, but I don’t know how to open it. Did you find anything in the kitchen?”

“Oh, you know, just a giant bag of _cocaiiiine_!” Matt smirked, holding up a bag of white powder about the size of his head.

Shiro jumped up, heart pounding in excitement. He took the bag from Matt to peer at it. “Where was it?”

“Pfft, they always think they’re smart when they hide it in the vents. Amateurs.”

“Well, nice find regardless!” Shiro put his hand on Matt’s shoulder, squeezing it. “Where there’s one there’s usually more. We’ll call this in for a more thorough search. Let’s see if we can figure out how to get this hatch opened.”

Upon closer inspection they could just barely see the outline of the hatch door when they used their flashlights, but there was no sign of a handle that they could see. Whoever crafted this hatch had done a phenomenal job and it had to have been costly. These were definitely not your average, run-of-the-mill drug dealers. The signs were all pointing to the Galra and that was disconcerting.

“Maybe there’s a button somewhere that will release it.” Matt sighed after they searched for a good while.

“Alright, let’s look around. It can’t be far from the door.”

They continued to search, tapping the walls, pulling books off shelves and carefully inspecting the china cabinet with no luck. It was starting to get dark out so Shiro moved towards the light switch to turn on the lights. When he flicked the switch, nothing happened. Frowning, he flicked it on and off a few times. After the third time there was a quiet beep and the hatch popped open.

“Seriously?” Matt grumbled, pulling open the door all the way to reveal a cement staircase. “We should probably call some backup before heading down there.”

“Yeah, let me give Keith a call.”

Shiro pulled out his cell phone, pulling Keith’s number up with speed dial and leaving it on speakerphone while Matt shone his flashlight down the stairs.

“Shiro?” Keith answered, sounding breathless. What was he doing?

“Keith, is everything okay?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“Oh, you just sounded out of breath.”

For some reason Matt snorted at that.

“Oh, uh…” Keith paused. “It’s nothing. I was working out.”

“I bet.” Matt muttered, just barely loud enough for Shiro to hear.

Shiro frowned. “Okay. Can you come help us out? We’ve got a big find at the victim’s house.”

“Sure yeah, what’s the address?”

Shiro rattled off the address, watching as Matt found a switch just inside the hatch which turned on the stairway lights.

“Do you know if Lance is free? I was going to call him too.”

There was a pause and Keith mumbled something quietly.

“What was that?”

“Ah…he’s here. With me.”

Matt snickered. “Bow chika bow wow!”

“Shut up. We’re coming.” Keith growled, hanging up without even saying goodbye.

Shiro sighed, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “What was that all about?”

“Our children were having sex, Shiro. Ah, they grow up so fast.”

Shiro crinkled his nose in disgust. “Don’t call them our children and then say they were having sex. That’s…no.” He joined Matt at the hatch. “Why would Keith want to hide that from me? I already know they’re together. I don’t care if they’re doing that.”

“No one likes their dad to know they’re having sex.”

“I’m not their dad.”

“You keep telling yourself that, big guy.”

Shaking his head, Shiro pulled out his firearm. Matt followed suit and together they made their way down the stairs.

The stairway was very narrow and the walls on either side were just hard-packed dirt. At the bottom of the stairs was a locked doorway and Matt made quick work of it. He pushed the door open and Shiro got a glimpse of a long corridor with doors along each side. The doors were big, made of heavy metal and each one had a slit at the top as a window.

Shiro felt his heartrate suddenly skyrocket and he clutched the door frame to keep himself steady.

“Shiro?” Matt called, but his voice sounded far off and muffled, like a badly tuned radio.

Something was wrong here. This was-

_He stumbled behind his captor, his head covered in a sack and his hands chained. The sack smelled foul and he felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn’t afford to lose what little food they had given him earlier, though, so he took shallow breaths in an attempt to lessen the stench._

_It didn’t really help._

_This was the fourth time they had moved him to a new location. The previous three times he’d attempted an escape with no success. He wasn’t sure he had it in him to try again. His back was still healing from the lashes he’d received last time. Even still, he listened intently, trying to tell how many people were here._

_“Stairs.” His guide grunted, pulling the sack off his head so he wouldn’t fall down the narrow staircase._

_The walls were hard-packed dirt, rubbing against his broad shoulders and soiling them further. The stairway ended in an open door, leading to a corridor with doors on either side. There was another man standing just past the door and he nodded to Shiro’s guide._

_“Room 5.”_

_The guide yanked on Shiro’s chains, causing the cuffs to dig further into his abused wrists. Blood was already trickling down his arms and dripping onto the concrete floor. He was leading Shiro to one of the doors. They looked thick and heavy, not something he could break down easily. If he was going to attempt an escape he needed to do so before they locked him in._

_Including his guide and the other man, Shiro couldn’t see anyone else in the hallway. Mustering his courage, he squared his shoulders and tackled his guide_ hard _. He’d angled himself in such a way that the man was pushed into his colleague, knocking them both into the wall with a loud thud. Shiro didn’t stick around to watch, yanking his chain free and turning to the door._

_Heart racing, he tore up the stairs two at a time, fear and adrenaline ripping through his veins. He was just about to the hatch at the top of the stairs when it opened on its own. Eyes wide with terror, Shiro saw Sendak standing at the hatch, a terrible smile on his face. He had what looked like a gun in his hand, but Shiro recognized it instantly._

_With a cry, he jerked back instinctively, just barely stopping himself from tumbling down the stairs. In the end it didn’t matter, his attempts were futile when stuck in such an enclosed space. Sendak pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. Instead of a bullet, a wire shot out of it and struck Shiro in the chest._

_Electricity coursed through his body. He stiffened, every muscle twitching painfully, his blood boiling in his veins. A weak whimper escaped between his clenched teeth as he teetered over. The cement stairs rushed up to meet him and he could do nothing to soften his fall. With a pained grunt his head smashed into one of the steps and his vision blacked out momentarily. He could feel himself tumbling gracelessly down the stairs, the barely healed gashes on his back ripping back open._

_Shiro moaned as he landed at the bottom of the stairwell, his body shaking from the aftershocks of the taser. His head was ringing as his vision spotted here and there but he didn’t pass out._

_He almost wished he would._

_Sendak slowly made his way down the stairs, followed by a few other goons. Shiro tried to scoot away from him but he couldn’t get his limbs to move the way he wanted to and instead just kicked out weakly. By that point the original two men had picked themselves up off the floor and joined their colleagues in pulling Shiro to his unsteady feet._

_“I told you to be careful with this one.” Sendak glared at them._

_“W-we’re sorry.” His guide stuttered, head bowed._

_“Make sure he is secure. The Emperor would not appreciate losing this one.” He grabbed Shiro’s head by the chin, forcing him to look at him. Shiro blinked dazedly, seeing double. “He’s not done with you yet.”_

_The men dragged Shiro to one of the doors, a big “5” painted on it in white. Dumping him onto the floor like a sack of potatoes, they attached his chains to the wall. They were careful to triple-check the restraints. Shiro doubted Sendak accepted failure twice._

_Once he was secure, they let him be but Sendak returned only moments later, a syringe in hand._

_“No…” Shiro whispered, shaking his head slowly. The movement caused the room to spin drunkenly and he suddenly felt nauseous. He tried to move away, pressing his injured back into the cold wall but there was no escape. It was a lesson he was slowly learning._

_“You know the drill.” Sendak looked far too pleased as he injected Shiro’s thigh with the syringe before backing out of the room._

_Almost immediately Shiro felt weak, his pounding heartbeat slowing down to a crawl as the room spun around and around and around…_

“Shiro?”

_Matt? Wait, what? That wasn’t right._

“Shiro!”

_Shiro felt his head loll to the side and he couldn’t pick it up again. It was so heavy. Everything felt heavy. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. What-_

“TAKASHI!”

Shiro blinked and the cold, dark room disappeared. Matt was leaning over him, his golden-brown eyes scared. Scared? Why was he scared? Matt shouldn’t be like that. Shiro was supposed to protect him. He wanted to keep that smile on his face, the one that warmed Shiro right down to his bones.

“M…att?” He rasped, looking around in confusion. Where was he?

“Hey, don’t look over there, stay with me.” Matt said, gently turning Shiro’s head back towards him. “Do you know where you are?”

“I…” Shiro trailed off, frowning. It took him longer than it should have to remember. “The drug house.” He said with more confidence than he felt. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and his heart was still pounding. Pounding? Wasn’t it getting sluggish before?

“That’s right.” Matt smiled encouragingly and suddenly Shiro felt better. Just seeing him there made his chest warm and his shaking subsided somewhat.

“What happened?”

Matt chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “Just a flashback.” He finally said, carefully casual. “Looked like a bad one. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Shiro replied on auto-pilot. He could already feel embarrassment creeping up on him. He hated it when this happened, and he hated it even more when someone else was around to witness it. Matt was always so understanding, but Shiro was so tired of being fucked up.

Matt snorted and rolled his eyes. “Right. Of course you are.” He sighed. His sharp eyes inspected Shiro closely. “Maybe we should step outside for a bit. It’s a bit stuffy in here. We can wait for Lance and Keith.”

Shiro frowned, opening his mouth to argue.

“Nope. You don’t get a say in this. Let’s go.” Matt pulled Shiro up. When did he end up on the floor?

Perhaps Matt was right.

Shiro let him lead him back up the stairs. It was a tight fit with Matt trying to help hold Shiro up, but they managed. They didn’t even bother closing the hatch behind them.

The fresh air outside really did help Shiro focus. Matt let him lean against the hood of their police car, opening the trunk to pull out a water bottle. Shiro took it gratefully, chugging half the bottle before passing it back. He sighed and rubbed his regular hand over his face.

“I’m-“  


“If you’re about to say you’re sorry, I don’t want to hear it, mister. There’s nothing to apologize for, understand?”

Shiro slumped further in on himself, looking at the cracked concrete of the street. For some reason, reassurance wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now and wasn’t that just all kinds of fucked up? He felt like a burden when these attacks happened. Sometimes he reacted violently, and he was terrified he might wake up to find that he’d hurt someone.

“Matt…”

“Nope, nuh uh, no. Don’t make me hurt you.”

Despite himself, Shiro felt his lips twitch into a small smile. The thought of Matt doing anything to hurt him was comical, at best.

“Now, let’s give those two idiots a call. Where’s my phone?” Matt patted his pockets. “Shit. I must have left it in the kitchen. Wanna give them a call while I run back inside?”

Shiro nodded, already pulling out his own phone as Matt jogged back into the house.

Shiro listened as the call connected only to be greeted with Lance swearing along with a lot of scuffling noises.

“Don’t drop my phone, dumbass!” He heard Keith growl, though it was obvious he wasn’t holding the phone himself.

“Oh please, you have an indestructible case on it. It’s fiiine.” Lance drawled, sounding closer to the microphone than Keith.

“Uh, hello?” Shiro called out.

“Shiro! Tell Keith that he doesn’t know how to drive.”

“ _I_ don’t know how to drive? _You’re_ the one giving shitty instructions, Lance.”

“I told you to turn left. Left! You turned _right_ , babe. That’s the opposite of left.”

“It’s faster! You’re giving me the wrong directions.”

“Guys.” Shiro sighed, feeling a headache coming. This was really turning out to be a bad day. He stepped away from the car, letting himself slowly pace back and forth on the sidewalk. “Where are you?”

There was a quiet pause. “We’re almost there. Shiro, are you okay?” Lance asked, voice serious.

“I’m fine.” Why was everyone asking him that?

“You just sound…nevermind. We should be there in about five minutes.”

“Alright, we-“ Shiro cut off as a loud explosion blasted through the quiet cul-de-sac. He cried out as he was thrown back, crashing into the side of the police vehicle and smashing his head on the side mirror. His phone clattered to the ground, sliding under the car.

Dazedly, he picked himself up off the ground and looked towards the explosion.

The house was gone, collapsed in on itself and burning with flames in a few spots.

Shiro stumbled forward a step, eyes wide and darting about the scene. Time seemed to slow to a painful crawl. Sound was muted, a dull roar of static overwhelming the crackle of flames and the crash of debris that was still falling even now. Ash and embers floated around him like a macabre facsimile of snow.

“Matt…” he mumbled, taking another step forward. “MATT!” He screamed, voice cracking in terror. He ran towards the carnage, stumbling over his own feet in his haste. He could hear sirens in the distance, but he pressed forward, shoving broken bits of wood and drywall out of his way, heedless of the heat and jagged edges. 

_This wasn’t happening._

He shoved more debris away. The remnants of what looked like a toilet crumbled in his prosthetic fist.

_He just needed to wake up._

“Matt!” He called desperately, grunting as he lifted a heavy chunk of concrete, tossing it to the side. “MATT! MA-” He cut off, coughing as the smoke choked him. His chest felt tight, squeezing his heart in a vice.

_No. No. Nonononono._

“MATT!” Shiro struggled to move another heavy piece of concrete, sweat dripping off his nose and from his hair. The heat was sweltering, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t-

“Shiro!” A voice called out and arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him back from the collapsed building.

He took just enough time to register Keith. “NO!” Shiro roared, frantically pulling himself from his friend’s grip. “MATT!” He almost got away, but Lance joined in, grabbing Shiro’s arm.

“Shiro! It’s too dangerous!” He yelled, blue eyes blazing. “Let the firemen get the flames first.”

“He’s still in there, he’s- he’s claustrophobic, I can’t- trapped- I-“

“We’ll find him! Just let them get the fire down!” Keith growled, giving an extra hard yank and causing Shiro to tumble backwards.

Together, Lance and Keith pulled him over to a clear patch of grass. As soon as they were out of the way, water started to rain down on the building, courtesy of the fire trucks lined up nearby. Shiro hadn’t even noticed them arrive. Smoke and steam spiralled into dark clouds, obscuring the stars.

Shiro felt lost.

His brain seemed physically incapable of accepting what was right in front of him. Matt had gone back into that house and the house exploded. How…how could anyone survive that?

How?

“Shiro?” Lance called. His tone indicated he’d been calling his name for awhile now.

Shiro looked at him. It took more effort than it should have to focus on the brunette.

“Hey, stay with me, buddy. Keith is going to get Kolivan. If anyone can find Matt, it’s him.”

Shiro nodded, not really comprehending. He coughed and brought his hand up to cover his mouth. To his shock, his hand was bleeding and blackened with ash. The prosthetic was fine, made of much stronger material than the human body, though it too was blackened.

Matt would crack a joke about that.

Except…

Shiro trembled, suddenly cold.

He was having trouble focusing. He was vaguely aware that he was probably in shock, but it was a fleeting thought.

He shivered.

Blink.

Suddenly there’s a blanket around him, warm enough to indicate it’s been there for awhile.

Blink.

The flames had died a bit, sputtering into ash and dust.

Blink.

The flames were gone, water trailing down the cracked remains of the driveway. His hand had been wrapped in bandages at some point.

Blink.

Keith was back, Kolivan sitting beside him obediently, still on his leash.

“Shiro. We need something of Matt’s.” Keith said, helping Shiro to stand.

Mentally, Shiro pulled his sergeant persona on like well worn cloak. It felt stretched and thin, but it held. His back straightened with resolve. “This way.”

He returned to his police vehicle, rummaging around in the trunk. Matt had so much crap all over the place, it was easy to find one of Shiro’s hoodies that Matt had commandeered years ago and eventually stolen. Keith took it gently and bent down to present it to Kolivan.

Shiro and Lance watched anxiously as Kolivan sniffed it, ears twitching back and forth. He bent down, sniffing at the ground. The dog paused around the area Matt had been standing at earlier before he gave an excited bark and headed towards the wreckage.

They followed Kolivan as he sniffed around the debris, pausing here and there. Eventually he moved towards a specific area, stopping to sit down at one spot in particular.

“There.” Keith nodded, giving his canine partner a smile.

Lance passed everyone some gloves and a group of firemen and women joined them as they started picking away at the debris. Shiro was terrified of what they might find but was just as scared that they would find nothing. He tried not to think about it as they slowly but surely progressed through the pile.

He didn’t know what he would do if Matt was gone.

Eventually, what remained of the floor came into view. Shiro was surprised to realize they were right near the hatch door. It was busted in on itself but otherwise in pretty good shape. The quality of the construction really was top notch.

Shiro and Keith carefully pulled the hatch door away. The staircase was still intact, though it was collapsed in some spots. Shiro felt his legs wobble when his eyes landed on Matt. He was laying in the stairwell. Part of the wall had collapsed on top of his legs, but his torso and head were free. He was dirty and there was a disconcerting amount of blood oozing from a head wound.

“Get the paramedics over here!” Shiro bellowed, waving them over.

Shiro watched anxiously as the firemen carefully lifted the wall off of Matt’s legs and the paramedics cautiously dragged him onto a stretcher. As soon as they had Matt secured, checking his vitals Shiro was at his side.

“He’s alive.” One of the paramedics was quick to reassure him and Shiro grasped the edge of the stretcher in relief. “We need to take him to the hospital, though. Are you riding with us?”

“If you’ll allow it.” His tone indicated that they better.

“Let’s go.”

“We’ll meet you there, Shiro!” Keith called out as Lance dug his phone out of his pocket. “Lance is going to call Pidge, don’t worry.”

Shiro gave them a nod of thanks and turned to follow the paramedic.

Matt was alive. Now they’d have to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. 
> 
> I am going to increase the pace of chapter postings so the next one will be out on Wednesday (sorry to anyone in a different time zone than me). 
> 
> Stay tuned for more!


	4. Chapter 4

“Please turn off the sun.”

“Matt!” A voice whispered, and Matt frowned, eyes still closed. His sister’s voice sounded a bit off and why the hell was she whispering?

Also, why did it feel like he was floating in zero gravity?

“I got it.” Hunk’s voice sounded next, his tone also muted and quiet. Matt could hear the sound of cloth shifting as he presumably got up to close the damn curtains.

Matt could feel a small hand squeeze his fingers gently and he had to consciously force himself to open his eyes. His eyelids felt sticky and he wrinkled his nose, reaching up with his free hand to rub his eyes. Instead, all he managed to do was poke his finger up his nose. Okay, so his hand-eye coordination was lacking right now. He tried again, this time managing to clear out some of the gunk.

His hand had an IV in it and he blinked confusedly at it for a moment. He looked up at Pidge. “What happened?”

“You got blown up, doofus.” Pidge replied in a soft voice, smile wobbly.

“Why are we whispering?”

“Shiro is sleeping, finally.” Hunk murmured, nodding his head towards the other side of the room.

With an enormous effort, Matt turned his head to the left. Shiro was passed out in a chair next to Matt’s bed. He was slumped over awkwardly in the too-small chair, head lolled forward uncomfortably and drool dripping onto his shirt.

“Oh my god.” Matt whispered, voice cracking and going several octaves higher than his usual voice. “He’s so adorable, like a sleepy puppy!”

Pidge glanced at Hunk.

“Drugs.” Hunk shrugged, smiling softly.

“I want to pet him.” Matt breathed, reaching a hand towards his partner. “I bet he’s soft.”

“No.” Pidge said, pulling his hand back. “No touch.”

Matt pouted and made a whimpering noise that he would probably, most definitely be embarrassed about later.

“Oh man, should I be filming this? I feel like Lance would want me to be filming this.” Hunk muttered, looking conflicted.

“What happened?” Matt asked again, glancing at his sister before looking back at Shiro. He was so hot, like, what the hell? Was that even legal? “Entrapment.”

Pidge gave him a puzzled look, one that Matt was used to seeing directed at him, before shaking her head. “I told you, you were in a house and the house exploded. You almost died.”

“I almost died?”

“Yes.”

“Did I get superpowers?”

“I-what? No. You did not get superpowers.”

“What’s the point, then?” Matt muttered petulantly, letting his head loll back towards Shiro. “Shiro’s already psychic, I want something too.”

Hunk pressed his lips together to hold back his laughter. “Well, maybe they just haven’t manifested yet.”

Pidge shot Hunk a glare but Matt just grinned. He was probably right. He hoped he got something cool and not lame like Aquaman. He’d be so disappointed if he got something lame.

Matt licked his lips and only just now realized his mouth was really dry. It tasted like a mouse had climbed in there and died and that was not a pleasant thought.

“Here.” Pidge said, holding up a Styrofoam cup with a straw.

The icy cold water felt _amazing_. He closed his eyes, gulping down the liquid until there was none left. Pidge moved the cup away, but Matt suddenly didn’t have energy to release the straw, so it just stayed in his mouth like a toothpick. God, he was so tired.

“He’s about to pass out again.” Hunk observed, voice fading in and out.

“Good.”

Matt didn’t even have the opportunity to be offended. He was already out.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt groaned as Shiro helped lower him onto his bed.

“Oh my God, Shiro. You have no idea how much I missed my bed. Hospital beds got nothing on Tempur-Pedic, I swear.”

“I’ll be sure to tell them to raise their mattress game.”

“Damn right.” Matt agreed, closing his eyes and sinking into his pillows with a sigh. It was good to be back home. The hospital was so cold and sterile. Home was warm and bright and had Shiro. The hospital hadn’t liked Shiro staying over night due to overcrowding, so he’d always had to leave at night to sleep. Matt wasn’t certain he actually, you know, slept, but it was worth a shot.

Matt could feel Shiro hovering over him and he opened one eye.

“Do you need anything? Food? Water? I can move the TV-“

“I’m fine, Shiro. I’m just gonna sleep for a bit. I feel like I might actually be able to now that I’m in my own bed.”

Shiro nodded uncertainly.

“Hey, don’t worry.” Matt reassured, reaching for Shiro’s hand and squeezing it gently. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Shiro frowned. “You better not.”

“I couldn’t leave you here all alone, honey-bunny.”

Shiro smiled. “If you’re going to sleep you should take your medication first. I’ll get you some water.” 

Matt sighed internally as his partner exited the room. Shiro was going to sink into worried mother-hen mode. He could feel it.

Matt didn’t mind Shiro taking care of him. It showed how much he cared and Matt would never turn that down. But sometimes it did get a bit frustrating.

Shiro returned with his medication and some water. He hovered anxiously until Matt swallowed the pills. Matt could feel himself already fading with exhaustion. His mattress felt like a cloud and he just wanted to sink into it. He twitched sluggishly when he felt Shiro’s natural hand on his forehead, gently pushing his bangs out of his face. Matt smiled but kept his eyes closed as he searched for Shiro’s prosthetic hand that was resting on the mattress. He grabbed it and linked their fingers together. The cool metal felt nice against his skin and he sighed.

“Stay with me.” He mumbled.

“Always.” Shiro whispered. Matt could have sworn he felt lips on his forehead, but he figured he must have just been dreaming.

He smiled anyway.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt watched nervously as Shiro moved around their kitchen making him breakfast. Or, what was supposed to be breakfast. If Shiro had one major weakness, it was that he couldn’t cook for shit. Matt was terrified of what he might produce.

Not that Matt himself was an amazing chef because Hunk had him beat there, but he liked to think that at least what he produced was usually edible. He just maybe, sometimes, sort of treated cooking like a science experiment and got inventive with his creations. Sometimes he hit the culinary jackpot and other times…well there was a reason they were well known at all of the nearby takeout restaurants.

Needless to say, the explosion at the drug house hadn’t managed to kill him, but Shiro’s cooking just might.

Matt watched helplessly from his position on the couch. He was healing up quite well, but his leg was still giving him some trouble, so he tried not to strain it too much. He was due back at work in another two weeks and he wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t be delayed. He was so bored at home. He never thought he’d actually say it, but he missed working.

Okay, fine. He missed being with Shiro all day. Shut up.

“Food's almost ready!” Shiro called out, giving Matt a warm smile.

Matt gave Shiro a weak thumbs-up, already mentally preparing his stomach for the coming endeavour.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Before either of them could really register it the door burst open and Lance waltzed in like he owned the place. Keith and Hunk followed behind him soon after.

“Shiro! Matt! We come bearing gifts!” Lance announced, plopping himself down onto the arm of the couch.

“Good morning,” Shiro greeted, waving a spatula at them. “I’m almost done making breakfast. Do you guys want some?”

Matt snorted as he watched everyone’s faces perform the same expression, a mix of terror and revulsion.

“Oh, uh…” Lance glanced at Hunk.

“I’m sorry Shiro, I brought some food for you guys. I made extra this morning.” Hunk even managed to sound remorseful. Matt narrowed his eyes at the taller man. He would have to be careful around that one. 

Of course, they all knew Shiro well and there was no way he would turn down a gift from someone. He was way too polite for that.

“I’m saved.” Matt whispered as Shiro gracefully accepted the plates that Keith and Hunk were carrying.

Lance laughed, being the only one who could hear him. “But we can’t let Shiro’s work go to waste. He made a breakfast for Matt, so Matt should have some of it, at least.”

Matt shot the Cuban a venomous glare as Shiro brightened and started adding God only knows what to Matt’s plate.

Lance just smirked right back at him. “I was stuck on the phone with that old lady for two hours, Matt. Two _hours_. Enjoy.”

Dammit. How was Matt supposed to know there would be consequences for his actions? Life was cruel.

“What is this?” Lance asked, looking at a spread of doodles littering the coffee table.

“I’m working on a new lock system for the government. They need an upgrade for some of the prisons and they’ve hired me to design them.” Matt replied, giving him a smug grin. “It’s nice to know _someone_ appreciates my brilliance.”

As Shiro brought Matt his breakfast, his cell phone started to ring. Absently, he passed over the plate and then answered the phone.

“Captain?”

Matt perked up. Perhaps he would be saved from eating this monstrosity.

Everyone watched Shiro as he nodded along, eyes serious. “Alright, text me the location. We’ll head right over.”

“Something come up?” Keith asked, making his way over.

“We’ve received a tip that might lead us to the murderer. We need to go check out the-”

“I’m coming with you.” Matt declared, already throwing off his blanket and starting to get up.

Shiro frowned. “No, Matt. You’re not cleared for duty yet.”

“Fuck that, this is my case too. I’m coming.”

Shiro’s back straightened. “No.”

“Shiro, don’t-“

“The doctor said no unnecessary strain. You will stay here and rest. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“Shiro-“

“Keith, Hunk, you’re with me. Lance, stay here with Matt and make sure he actually rests.”

Matt bristled. “Shiro, don’t you dare leave me here!”

Shiro made his way towards the door, Keith close on his heels. Hunk gave Matt an apologetic look before following them out the door.

“Goddammit.” Matt threw one of his pillows at the wall, but the soft sound didn’t help his frustration at all.

“Dude, don’t worry about it. They’ll be fine.” Lance drawled, sprawling himself out on the floor. “Now eat your breakfast.”

“Fuck you.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Matt. We’re just heading back your way soon. The tip was a bust, but Hunk’s going to make some nachos-” Shiro winced as Matt let out an excited whoop. “I figured you’d be happy about that.”

“Damn right I am! His food is orgasmic, Shiro. _Orgasmic_. You can tell him that it’s only his nacho powers that have allowed me to forgive you for leaving me here.”

Shiro smiled as he paid for the coffee, which was a peace offering for Matt, and moved to the side while he waited for it to be made.

“Hunk’s powers truly are extraordinary.”

“Take _that_ , Holt! There’s no way it won’t fall this time.” Lance’s voice was distant, but still easily understandable.

“Just a sec, Shiro. I need to put Lance in his place.”

  
There was the sound of Matt putting his phone down, followed by a tense silence. Suddenly Lance howled in shock.

“What the _hell_!? How is this even possible!?”

Shiro could hear Matt’s grin as he picked the phone back up. “I’m the Jenga master. Tell him Shiro.”

“He’s the Jenga master.” Shiro agreed, nodding to the barista as she handed him the coffee. He awkwardly made his way back towards his car. Trying to juggle his phone, the coffee, a heavy bag of salsa _and_ fish his keys out of his pocket was not an easy task. “We’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Okay, see you soon, cupcake!”

Shiro rolled his eyes, hanging up the phone as he pulled open the car door absently and slid into the driver’s seat. “Matt is as excited, as you wou-“

“Champion.” A dark voice greeted him and Shiro froze. The hairs on the back of his neck rose in pure, animal instinct. He knew that voice.

Shiro looked into the rear-view mirror.

“Sendak.” He growled, eyes narrowing in hate as he took in the other man.

Sendak was sitting in the back seat, his arm slung around Hunk’s neck in some fucked up facsimile of a hug. There was something clutched in his hand and he had it pressed up against Hunk’s neck. At first, Shiro thought it was a knife, but closer inspection revealed a syringe. Fuck.

Sendak was looking quite good for someone who was supposed to be dead. He had a large scar across his face and he was sporting his own prosthetic arm to match Shiro’s, but other than that he didn’t look much different than Shiro remembered.

Shiro’s eyes moved over to Hunk. The other man was still awake and was very obviously nursing a broken arm. He was bleeding a bit from the mouth and was already sprouting a black eye, but he appeared alert. His warm brown eyes were clouded with fear and pain, but he was breathing carefully, likely trying not to panic.

“First thing’s first, call back your friend and tell him you’ll be late.” Sendak ordered, nodding to Shiro’s phone still clutched in his hand.

Shiro paused, clenching his teeth, but one look at the blood still dribbling from Hunk’s mouth had him using the auto dial function to call back Matt.

“Speaker phone.” Sendak demanded. “No heroics. I can kill your friend at any moment.” To emphasize his point, his arm tightened around Hunk’s neck.

Shiro tapped the speaker phone key and the ringing phone echoed throughout the vehicle.

“Shiro, darling, you need to learn to go five minutes without me. I know it’s hard, but I believe in you.” Matt’s voice was teasing and Shiro clenched his phone so tightly it creaked.

“Sorry Matt, we’re going to be a bit later than expected.” Shiro replied, trying his best to keep his voice calm. Hunk’s life depended on him. “Hunk wants to pick up some secret ingredient from his place for the nachos so we’re going to swing by there. It’ll probably take us an extra half hour or so.”

“Oh, wow, so mysterious!” Shiro could practically _hear_ Matt’s blinding grin. “I don’t even care if it’s something weird, I can handle it for that level of deliciousness. Take your time, pumpkin!”

“Alright. We’ll see you in a bit, babe.”

The car was silent as Shiro hung up the phone.

“Now, turn on the car and drive only where I tell you to. If you go in any other direction…” Sendak trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish his sentence. Shiro knew well enough what would happen.

Turning on the car, Shiro pulled out of the parking lot. “What do you want, Sendak?”

“Take a left here. And what I want is meaningless. I follow only the Emperor, and he’s not too pleased with you, Champion.”

Shiro kept his eyes carefully on the road, taking a left as noted. His mind raced, trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess. His past was coming back to haunt him, and this time he was dragging Hunk down with him.

Things remained tense as they pulled onto the highway. It was quite dark now and the stars were hidden behind a cloudy night sky. Rain started to drip onto the windshield, starting off slowly but picking up speed at an alarming rate. Soon the rain was coming down in sheets, drenching the road and obscuring his vision.

“Did you really think you were free, Champion? Did you really think you could pretend to be normal?” Sendak murmured, voice deep and so, so sure.

Shiro’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Dark memories stirred at the back of his mind, threatening to overpower him. He wouldn’t listen to Sendak. He wouldn’t.

“You made some very powerful enemies, Champion.”

Shiro felt so cold. Voices clashed in his head, memories from long ago pulling at his consciousness with increasing desperation.

_“Let the fight commence!”_

_“The Champion wins again! Grolav is just another corpse for the pyre! Another offering for our Emperor Zarkon!”_

_“You will fight, or you will die. For one such as you, Champion, there is only one option.”_

“It’s a good thing he’s got powerful allies to watch his back, then.” Hunk’s voice cut through Shiro’s memory like a bludgeon, smashing them into nothingness with all the subtlety of a jackhammer.

Sendak narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip enough for Hunk to let out a strangled whine.

But it was too late, Hunk’s words had already penetrated Shiro’s walls, walls he hadn’t even realized he was throwing up. He felt a sudden sense of calm sweep through his body. He would not let Hunk down. He wouldn’t let his friends down. They’d stuck by him this long. There was no turning back. He was a leader, it was time he started acting like one again.

“Take the next exit.” Sendak ordered.

The exit took them out onto a deserted farming road. Large swathes of land passed by, some with row upon row of vegetables and fruits, others seemingly empty. A group of cows huddled together in the rain near the fence lining the road, watching them impassively as Shiro drove by.

They drove along this road for awhile, eventually the concrete switched to dirt. Dirt and rocks kicked up from the tires, obscuring his vision further in the rain. He was forced to slow down so he wouldn’t crash into some farmer’s barn. As they went, homes got further and further apart. Shiro had no idea where the hell they were. This was not good.

“Pull over here.”

There was a small pull over spot up ahead, so Shiro made his way towards it and stopped the car. He let it sit and idle as he waited for further instruction.

“Get out of the car and lean up against the hood, hands stay on your head.”

Shiro opened the driver’s door, carefully stepping out. His legs felt like lead, but he made his way to the hood and bent over it. He kept his eyes on Hunk, watching as Sendak ordered him forward and out of the car. It was then Shiro realized that Sendak had Hunk’s gun pressed up against his back. Shiro’s own gun felt heavy at his side, but he didn’t dare touch it with Sendak so close.

Sendak moved Hunk over towards Shiro and shoved him down onto the hood next to him. Hunk grunted, some blood splashing onto the car. Shiro’s gun was removed next and its missing weight felt like a punch to the gut.

Sendak took a few steps away from them, his body highlighted by the headlights of the car. He looked entirely too pleased with himself as he surveyed his captives. With the gun still pointed at the two of them, he pulled out his own cell phone.

“Are you okay?” Shiro whispered, trying to get a good look at his friend through the pelting rain and darkness.

“Could be better.” Hunk managed, voice shaky.

“You’re doing so well, Hunk. Just hold on a bit longer, buddy.”

“I’m at the location, ready for pickup.” Sendak’s voice was hard to hear over the rain and the rumble of the engine, but Shiro managed to catch it.

“Shiro…” Hunk turned his head towards him slowly, his shoulders tense. His hands were trembling and Shiro was fairly certain it wasn’t from the cold. “What if…what if we don’t-“

“Shhh.” Shiro murmured. “Everything will be fine. You’ll see. We just need to hold on for a bit, okay? I’ll distract him.”

“Distract him with what? He’s just going to shoot us!” Hunk’s voice was edging into hysterical territory. “I can’t die yet, Shiro. I haven’t gotten the courage to ask out Shay yet, I-“

“If he wanted to do that, we’d be dead already. They want us alive for some reason, trust me.” Shiro’s heart clenched at the partial lie. He was fairly certain they only wanted one of them alive, and that person was not Hunk. Shiro wasn’t about to let them dispose of the unexpected addition.

Shiro had to admit, things weren’t looking good. Sendak had caught them at the worst possible moment. They’d been off duty, even if they tried to meet with that informant. They were in civilian clothes, neither of them had any other equipment aside from their guns. Shiro wasn’t even driving his police car. This vehicle was just one that he’d worked on as part of his therapy. There was no way to contact the precinct from here, in the middle of nowhere.

Regardless, Shiro had never been one to lay down and give up. It just wasn’t in him.

“Follow my lead, okay buddy?” Shiro ordered as he slowly moved so that his back was to the hood of the car. He was careful to keep his hands on his head. Sendak noticed him moving but continued to murmur into his phone. He gave Shiro a warning look and the gun stayed steadily on them, but he didn’t shoot.

Inwardly, Shiro made a note of this weakness, cataloguing it away in his subconscious. Sendak really did seem to want to take Shiro in alive. Hunk was his only real leverage against Shiro. Sendak knew well enough that bullets weren’t enough to stop Shiro from coming after him if he killed Hunk.

He’d seen it happen before, after all.

This was something Shiro could use. His eyes tracked Sendak like a predator marking its prey. If Sendak wanted The Champion, Shiro would oblige him long enough for him to regret it.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro bumped his shoulder into Hunk. “For fuck’s sake, Hunk, stop fucking around and _do_ something!” He yelled, eyes narrowed in fury.

“W-what?” Hunk stuttered, looking at him aghast.

“All you do is whine and cry. Pathetic.” Shiro snarled, shoving him harder and causing him to slide almost off the edge of the hood.

Alarmed, Sendak quickly hung up his phone and moved closer. “Enough. Stop moving.”

Hunk seemed to catch on and he glared at Shiro. Shiro made a mental note never to get on Hunk’s bad side. “Fuck you, Shiro! I don’t see you doing anything.” He shoved Shiro right back, nearly knocking him off his feet.

“Don’t play your games, Champion. I _will_ shoot him.” Sendak pointed his gun steadily on Hunk, taking another step forward.

“Good riddance!” Shiro growled and he leapt forward, shoving Hunk so hard that he actually did slide right off the side of the car and onto the ground with a pained grunt.

Sendak moved, trying to get the gun trained back on Hunk who was blocked by the car and Shiro didn’t hesitate. He _struck_.

Sendak crashed to the muddy ground with a shout, the gun going off in the scuffle. By some miracle, it missed Shiro and he was able to knock the gun from Sendak’s hand. It skidded across the gravel and into the tall grass. With a furious growl, Sendak got his legs up under Shiro and _kicked_ , leaving Shiro airborne for a moment as he flew through the air. He managed to land on his feet, though he had to put his hands on the ground to steady himself as he slid through the mud and filth.

Sendak pulled out Shiro’s own gun, pointing at him.

Shiro blinked.

_“Vrepit Sa! Vrepit Sa! Finish him!”_

_The cheers were so loud, Shiro could_ feel _the ground shaking beneath him. The fight was never enough for them. They were calling for death._

Blink. Shiro was back in the dark, rain pouring down on him.

What?

Sendak growled in frustration. The gun was jammed by mud and pebbles.

Before Shiro could reorient himself, Sendak was already charging Shiro with a manic yell. He crashed into him with his full weight and Shiro felt _something_ snap. Pain washed through his upper torso as he crashed to the ground. He gasped as Sendak gripped his head, slamming it into the ground. Dark spots appeared before his eyes. He could vaguely hear someone calling his name, but the sound was muted and washed out. Who? Where was the crowd?

Sendak reached for Shiro’s neck, large hands wrapping around it in a tight grip. Shiro bucked, trying get his feet under him but Sendak had him pinned. His mouth was twisted into a horrifying smile as Shiro clawed at his hands and struggled to breathe. Just _breathe_.

_Shiro watched his opponent circle him. This one was more cautious. Shiro had a reputation now. He was The Champion. You didn’t get to become The Champion by losing._

_Shiro let the man circle him, content to stay where he was and let his opponent come to him. He would be ready._

_The man had a claw-type weapon, though only for one hand. Shiro didn’t have anything. He was a weapon._

_Surprisingly, the man lunged at him from the front, his claw extended in a deadly strike towards his eyes._

_Two could play at that game._

Shiro reached up. His vision was darkening but he managed to strike fast enough. His claw-like hands dug into Sendak’s face, searching. His middle finger sunk right into the man’s right eye, followed by his index. Sendak’s scream echoed through the trees. Desperately, he tried to back away, letting go of Shiro’s neck to grip his own face. Shiro snarled, curling his fingers around the edge of the socket, he _pulled_. Sendak went down with a cry. Blood and a jelly-like substance gushed from the wound, coating Shiro’s prosthetic hand but he didn’t even notice it.

Shiro gasped for breath, coughing as blessed air filled his lungs. He needed to get back up, he needed to _fight._ He-

Hunk took that moment to come barrelling out of the darkness, slamming into Sendak with the full force of his body. They landed hard and Shiro could see Hunk clench his teeth in pain. Tackling someone when you have a broken arm was probably not the best idea, but Shiro wasn’t about to reprimand him in a situation like this.

Sendak and Hunk grappled on the ground as Shiro stumbled to his feet. Sendak managed to get a lucky hit in, his elbow smashing into Hunk’s head with a dull thump. Normally Hunk could take hits like a champion, to the point that it often worried Shiro, but he was already worn out from earlier and with a broken arm on top of it he was reaching his limit. The strike to his head obviously left him dazed and Shiro could feel time slow as Sendak reached for him, something glinting in his hand.

In the back of his head, Shiro knew what it was, and he didn’t even pause to consider it he just _moved._

With an animalistic roar, Shiro lunged and just managed to snatch Sendak’s wrist. He twisted it viciously, bone snapping like a pencil, piercing skin. The jagged edges cut his own arm but Shiro didn’t even feel it, using his own bulk to crash into Sendak. Sendak rolled with him, managing to knock him off in the scuffle. With a pained groan, Sendak dragged himself to his feet. His undamaged hand was covering what remained of his eye as he stumbled away from Shiro and Hunk, making his way towards the idling car.

Shiro didn’t even entertain the thought that he was going to run. The Galra motto was “Victory or Death”. There was no room for failure.

Shiro tried to stand, tried to stop what he already knew was coming but his limbs refused to cooperate, and the ground swayed alarmingly around him. What was happening? What-

His hand brushed his own leg, bumping into something and causing a pinch of pain. Shiro struggled to focus on his own body, but eventually he managed to see the syringe sticking out of his leg.

“No…” Shiro groaned and now that he noticed it, he could _feel_ it coursing through him. It swept through his entire body, weighing him down with lethargy. It was…it was…

_Amazing_. He hadn’t felt like this in _so long_. He’d forgotten how much he wanted this, how much he _needed_ it. He couldn’t even _feel_ his wounds anymore. He was plummeting, fading, falling into nothingness.

No. No, he didn’t want this. Not again.

He managed to struggle to all fours, but he was too slow. He couldn’t move, his muscles were weighed down with lead, filling every nook and cranny with sheer _mass_. He was drowning in exhaustion, unable to focus, unable to _breathe_. Lifting his head took astronomical effort, but he did it. Sendak was in the car, he was going to take them down, he-

A deafening crash sliced through his growing headache and Shiro was _gone_.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt pressed the end call button on his phone and immediately turned to Lance. “Shiro and Hunk are in trouble.”

Lance gaped at him. “What?”

Matt struggled to his feet, throwing off his blanket and knocking over the Jenga tower. “Shiro called me babe.”

Lance frowned. “So? It was only a matter of time before he finally slipped.”

Matt wanted to ask about that in more depth, but as it was there was no _time_. They needed to get help. “He would never call me that, especially in front of Hunk. Something is wrong.”

The doubtful look on Lance’s face melted away when he saw Matt’s eyes. “Okay, I’m with you. How do we track them down? They weren’t in your police car.” His eyes widened. “What about Keith!?” 

Matt fiddled with his phone as he limped towards their closet, throwing on his jacket and struggling to get his feet in his boots. “I can track him by his phone, gimme a sec. He didn’t mention Keith, maybe they split up?”

Lance followed him, pulling out his own phone and calling Keith’s number. He visibly relaxed when his partner answered the phone. “Keith! Are you okay? Where are you?”

Matt continued to pull up Shiro’s phone location, tuning out Lance’s one-sided conversation. Shiro’s phone was showing up on the highway, clearly heading in the opposite direction he was supposed to be going. Dread crept up his spine, threatening to unbalance him. Something was going down, something _bad_. He knew it.

“Keith split up with them to go grab Pidge. They are on their way here.” Lance announced, grabbing the keys to his police vehicle. “They should be here soo-“

“No.” Matt cut him off, giving him a look. “We’re leaving now. Pidge can track me by my phone, have them follow us. Get Pidge to notify the precinct.”

Lance watched him for a moment before nodding, relaying his instructions to Keith. The tension in Matt’s shoulder’s loosened. He couldn’t be more grateful to the Cuban if he’d given him a million dollars. Lance was placing an enormous amount of trust in Matt’s instincts. Stopping everything, following Matt and calling in reinforcements just because Matt was freaking out over one small word.

Matt wasn’t as much of a touchy-feely person, unless it was with Shiro, but he put his hand on Lance’s shoulder in appreciation.

“Let’s go save the day.” Lance grinned.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance tore down the road, heedless of the rain pelting down. His lights and sirens paved the way for him to drive at breakneck speeds, cars parting ahead of him like the Red Sea. Matt rocked with the sharp movements of the vehicle, hardly paying attention to the road as he watched Shiro’s dot on the map stop in Bumfuck, Nowhere. Shit was about to go down and they were still so far away.

“Are you kidding me!?” Lance yelled incredulously, voice pitching several octaves higher. “Get the fuck out of the way, asshole!”

Lance’s road rage would normally be cause for teasing, but Matt was too focused keeping Pidge up-to-date on Shiro’s location and funnelling information to their comrades at the precinct. Keith and Pidge were following them on Keith’s motorcycle. They were catching up quickly, but Pidge was having trouble keeping in touch when she had to hold on to Keith.

“Matt, snap a pic of that asshat’s plate. I’m going to fucking arrest him later!” Lance roared.

“Turn left, we can cut through here!”

Lance swerved left and Matt had to catch the blue, bobblehead kitten normally secured to the dashboard as it went flying.

“Sorry, Blue!” Lance called, carefully retrieving the figure from Matt and placing it gently beside him. “Sit here with daddy.”

Matt wasn’t going to touch that with a twelve-foot pole.

They tore down a dirt road, tires hydroplaning on the rough terrain. Matt nearly smashed his head on the window as they hit a pot hole.

Google Maps was telling them there was a road here. Google Maps was a goddamn liar.

“Shit, there’s no road!” Lance moved to turn but Matt stopped him.

“Keep going.”

Lance paused briefly before his face split into a grin. “I am a leaf on the wind.” The wooden fence was no match for their reinforced bumper and they crashed through it, splinters and debris flying into the windshield. They tore through some poor farmer’s field. Lance at least attempted to stay away from the crops, driving in between the rows of vegetation. They smashed through another two fences, scaring a herd of cattle munching on grass in the rain.

They skidded back onto the road. Up ahead they could see a set of headlights. It was difficult to see in the pouring rain but as they got closer they could just make out Hunk getting to his feet near the side of the road. Shiro was on the ground and Matt’s heart clenched painfully at the sight. Someone was in Shiro’s car. Matt’s brain connected the dots in seconds and all he knew was that he needed to stop that car.

“Hit the car, Lance!”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”

“NOW!”

Lance and Matt braced themselves as best they could as they sped towards the vehicle. Just before impact Matt’s eyes met the terrified eye of Sendak and he gave the gang member a manic grin. They hurtled into the vehicle with a deafening crash, glass smashing, the squealing sound of metal wrenching and buckling echoed throughout the area. Matt was briefly stunned by the airbag that deployed in his face, knocking off the reading glasses he forgot he was wearing.

They came to a halt, smoke and steam rising from the hood of their police car. Miraculously, Matt was uninjured aside from some likely bruising courtesy of his seatbelt and some whiplash he’ll probably be feeling tomorrow. He probably had the guard at the front of the vehicle to thank for that. He beat at the remains of the airbag, trying to get it out of his way so he could see.

“Lance?” He called, finally struggling through. “Are you okay?”

“For the most part.” Lance’s muffled voice replied.

Matt didn’t wait for further clarification as he pushed open the passenger door. He had to give it a good shove with his shoulder, but he managed it. His leg was hurting like a bitch, but he couldn’t tell how much of that was from his prior injuries. He wasn’t supposed to strain it but fuck that. He’d do whatever it took to save Shiro and Hunk.

Making his way around the back of the car, he met up with Lance on the driver’s side. He had a bad cut on his left temple, testament to smacking his head on his window. It was bleeding a fair bit, but he seemed alert. Head wounds tended to bleed a lot, so Matt wasn’t too concerned. By all rights they were lucky to get away from this with minor injuries.

“Lance! Matt!” Hunk called, limping his way towards them. He was cradling his arm carefully and he had a nasty goose-egg on his head. “Shiro’s-“

A loud rumbling sound signified the arrival of Keith and Pidge and Matt gestured for them to check on whatever remained of Sendak. Part of Matt hoped he was dead, but he wasn’t about to hold his breath.

He left Lance to take care of Hunk as he made a beeline for his partner. His heart was pounding in fear and he ignored the shooting pain that tore up his leg at every step.

As he neared his friend he could see he was shaking, his skin pale. As Matt drew closer he realized it wasn’t just shaking, Shiro was having a seizure.

“Shit!” Matt swore, crouching down beside Shiro, hands hovering over him. They were still on the road so there wasn’t anything that might injure Shiro further, but Matt still managed to roll him onto his side. It turned out to be a good move because seconds later vomit trickled out of his mouth only to get washed away by the rain. Matt could do nothing but wait for the shaking to die down, running his fingers through Shiro’s soaked hair as soothingly as possible.

Once the shaking subsided, Matt struggled to check his partner for injuries, anything that might have caused such a reaction. Shiro wasn’t reacting to anything around him. He had a cut on his arm that was bleeding sluggishly, but that wouldn’t be enough to cause this.

“How is he?” Pidge called out, making her way towards him. “The ambulance should be here soon, it’s just a matter of them finding us out here.”

“I don’t know, he’s so out of it.” Matt muttered, distractedly. He was reaching for Shiro’s forehead to check for head injuries when he noticed his eyes. They were hooded but he could just make them out thanks to the glaring light still emanating from Shiro’s wrecked car. The pupils were mere pinpricks in his irises, and Matt swore.

“Fuck. Shit. Fuck! Shit! _Fuck!_ ” He leaned back, eyes raking Shiro’s body.

“What?” Pidge sounded alarmed, kneeling down next to Matt quickly. She looked over Shiro and her face just _crumpled_. “No…” 

Matt’s heart sank when he noticed the needle sticking out of Shiro’s thigh. “Not again.” He whispered, only just loud enough for his sister to hear.

Pidge snatched up Shiro’s wrist, counting out heartbeats as Matt leapt to his feet and pelted towards Shiro’s car. It was difficult to run in the muck, his shoes slipping and sliding in the mud. Keith had Sendak out of the car and on the ground. The asshole didn’t look like he was doing so well but he was still alive, and Matt felt a vicious surge of pleasure at that. He wasn’t done with him yet.

The trunk of Shiro’s car had popped open in the accident and Matt frantically scrounged around in it, searching. He felt like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest in hysterical fear. He couldn’t deal with this again. He didn’t think he could take it. He didn’t think _Shiro_ could take it. He was _not_ going to lose Shiro to this. Not this.

Finally, his fingers wrapped around the kit he was looking for. As he tore back towards Shiro he could see the lights and sirens belonging to the ambulances in the distance. They would be here soon, and he took a moment to tell himself that everything was going to be okay. Shiro would be okay.

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg, he slid to a stop next to Pidge, spraying her with mud and gravel. She didn’t even twitch, just turned to him with a grim look.

“He’s not breathing, and his heart rate is sluggish! It’s…” She trailed off, panic edging into her voice. She brushed Shiro’s wet bangs away from his forehead. “Matt…”

“I’m taking care of it.” Matt said, ripping open the kit in his hands. As carefully as he could manage, he prepped the needle inside. He’d practised this so many times he could do it with his eyes closed. After everything that had happened before, everything Shiro had sacrificed for Matt, the least he could do was be ready for just such an occasion. Shiro was strong, Matt knew this. Shiro would do everything in his power not to use it again, but addiction…

Addiction was a terrifying enemy. Especially when that addiction was imposed upon you by others.

Matt pressed the needle into Shiro’s other leg, carefully injecting the medication. He kept Narcan kits like this everywhere: at home, in all of their vehicles, his desk at work, even one at each of their friend’s houses. Shiro didn’t know they were there. Matt didn’t want him to feel like they didn’t believe in him. It wasn’t that at all, it was others that Matt didn’t trust.

“C’mon, Shiro.” Matt murmured, gently slapping his cheek to try and rouse him.

He couldn’t lose him again. Not now, not after everything. Matt couldn’t sit there looking at Shiro’s pale face and knowing that, once again, he’d lost him. Once again, he hadn’t been there with him.

Once again, he’d failed to tell him how important he was to him.

Shiro was the reason Matt dragged himself out of bed each morning. Shiro was the one that had always been by his side, no matter what crazy shenanigans Matt had gotten himself into. He was the one that would tease him when he’d least expect it and the one that would hold him when everything became too much. He was Shiro, and Matt wanted to be with him for the rest of their fucked-up lives.

He couldn’t keep going on like this. He couldn’t keep hiding behind his own walls. He couldn’t keep regretting.

“Takashi, _please_.” He could feel tears welling in his eyes and he gripped Shiro’s stained shirt, kneeling over so he could press his ear to Shiro’s chest right over his heart.

Hunk had come over to join them and he put his hand on Pidge’s shoulder as she sniffed, watching Shiro intently.

Suddenly Shiro gasped for breath, body jerking in a spasm of limbs. He coughed, chest heaving as he opened his eyes. It took him a moment to focus on Matt, but when he did Matt could see that his pupils were no longer tiny pinpricks in his eyes.

“Matt-“

Before Shiro could get any further, Matt grabbed his face in both of his hands and kissed him.

Shiro’s body tensed slightly under him for a millisecond before just completely _melting_. Matt could feel him smile into the kiss before wrapping his arms around Matt and tugging him closer.

 Matt was cold and wet and had gone through an entire theme park’s worth of emotional rollercoasters, but it didn’t matter.

He pulled back just enough so that he could hug Shiro again and he steadfastly ignored the cheering in the background. Matt felt his partner’s lips brush his ear.

“Love you.” Shiro whispered, voice gravelly.

“I love you too, you dork.” Matt smiled, giving him another kiss.

He loved Shiro.

And that was all that mattered.

Beautiful fanart by [ifellfromtheskies](https://ifellfromtheskies.tumblr.com/)!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that might be curious, the drug being described here is called fentanyl. I went with this drug because we've been having a lot of problems with it where I live (a lot of people are dying from overdose). It is often mixed in with other drugs to make them more potent, but it is VERY easy to put too much and it transfers from person to person very easily. Even just skin contact with it can affect someone trying to help another person who has overdosed. I also chose it because of Narcan, it's something that can be used to reverse the effects of opioids. During my research, I was surprised to find that it actually works remarkably fast so it worked well for what I wanted (which was not a lengthy recovery period). 
> 
> Next chapter will be out on Sunday and we'll be taking a trip into the past to find out more about Shiro and Matt's past with the Galra.


	5. Chapter 5

_4 Years Ago_

Shiro followed Haggar down the dimly lit hallway, mind racing. She’d come to his temporary quarters and requested he follow her. Shiro hated being around the woman, he felt like she could see right through him and it was terrifying. Outwardly he was calm, strolling along beside her with confidence. Inwardly he was screaming. He wracked his brain trying to think of when he might have slipped and given himself away. It was all too easy to make a simple mistake and ruin everything.

He could be walking to his death right now.

With a mental yank he pulled himself back into his current persona. He couldn’t afford to be Shiro right now. Not in front of her. Not while immersed in the Galra headquarters. He was Kuro, representative of the Japanese Yakuza who was here to bolster ties with the North American gang. For the last six months he’d been a guest of honour and had insofar been treated as such.

The Galra were the largest gang in the entirety of North America, even branching out into other continents. They had organized crime gripped in their fists and it didn’t look like that was going to be changing any time soon. In his time here, Shiro had learned that the reason for their success was their near-blind devotion to their leader. The deference they gave to whom they referred to as ‘Emperor Zarkon’ was bordering on fanatic. They were basically a cult. A cult that brainwashed its members to participate in an innumerable amount of crimes. From petty theft to human trafficking, the Galra had their hands in all of it.

Shiro was certain that they had people in the FBI, the CIA, even within key positions of power in government. They were frightening.

And Shiro was among them.

Shiro had been chosen for this undercover mission because of a few things: he was a good cop, had no family and wasn’t just Japanese but actually fluent in the language and customs. Intel had indicated the Galra were trying to branch out into Japan. Shiro was to be their liaison with the Japanese Yakuza.

They walked down the dark hallways. Shiro nodded to passersby but they hardly paid him any mind. They were too busy bowing to Haggar, tripping over themselves to show deference. It was as disturbing as it was comical. Haggar hardly spared them a glance as she led him to a side door he hadn’t yet had a chance to explore.

Haggar was second-in-command, answering only to Zarkon. What exactly she did for their leader, Shiro wasn’t yet certain, but she scared him more than anyone else. She was frighteningly smart. Smart enough to know that it was much easier to have the leader’s ear than to be the actual leader.

She reached for the handle but paused, turning her piercing yellow eyes on him. “I think you’ll like this, Kuro. Zarkon wanted you to take part. Don’t disappoint him.”

Shiro let his grim look slip into an easy smirk. He let his eyes show just a spark of malicious excitement and Haggar gave him a pleased smile. It was a difficult balance, especially with her. He tried his best not to speak too much, Kuro was a quiet man. It meant he had less opportunity to slip up and say the wrong thing, but it also meant that he communicated mainly with facial expressions and that could be challenging. Luckily, it hadn’t yet failed him.

He hoped.

They entered a large room, lit with blinding fluorescent lights. It had no windows and appeared to be made entirely of cold concrete. There was mold growing in many of the crevices and cracks split the ceiling and walls. Somewhere a pipe was leaking, the constant drip, drip, drip echoing off the walls.

The contents, however, were straight out of a nightmare.

Cold, metal tables were interspersed throughout along with various chairs. All of them had straps and handcuffs attached to them. Some of the tables were littered with tools that Shiro would rather not contemplate. Dried blood was everywhere: on the tables, on the floor, in the _air_. He could taste it on the back of his tongue.

Shiro sunk deeper into his Kuro persona, letting his cool gaze sweep the room with appreciation.

There were a few other people already in the room. Zarkon was sitting on one of the only chairs that didn’t have restraints on it. Sendak was on his left and Myzax was towering over one of the tables, perusing the tools.

Haggar led Shiro further inside, moving to stand next to Zarkon.

There were two other people in the room, both strapped to chairs. One was slumped forward, likely unconscious but the other was breathing heavily, blood dripping from a cut on his face.

Shiro felt his heart stop.

It was Matt.

His eyes darted back to the other chair. Samuel Holt.

Oh shit. Oh _shit_.

He could feel panic well up inside him, sudden and vicious, threatening to overwhelm him. He ruthlessly quashed it down. He could _not_ show weakness here. He _couldn’t_.

Zarkon waved Shiro forward. “Ah, here he is. Welcome, Kuro. Please, say hello to our guests. Police Commissioner Samuel Holt and his son, detective Matthew Holt.”

Shiro stepped forward. He felt like he was walking through molasses, his legs heavy. Sweat rolled down his back and he was never more thankful that his shirt was black. Time seemed to slow down as Matt raised his head to stare at Shiro’s face.

Matt’s stare swiftly switched to a snarl as he pulled on his restraints.

Shiro desperately held on to his Kuro mask, letting his eyes go half-lidded and bored as he looked over the prisoners. “Don’t look like much.” He grunted.

Zarkon chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “No, but they have been a thorn in my side for years now. Why, just last week this detective arrested three of my most trustworthy officers.”

“And I’d do it again, fuckfa-augh!” Matt was cut off as Myzax punched him in the stomach. He wheezed, saliva dripping from his mouth as he struggled to breathe.

Zarkon tutted slowly, an amused grin on his face. “Now, now, _language_ , detective. Your father wouldn’t appreciate profanity.”

Matt chuckled but it sounded just a touch hysterical, like he was desperately trying to hide how terrified he really was. “If you think my dad doesn’t swear, you’re more stupid than you look.”

Zarkon’s smile turned predatory and he nodded to Myzax. The other man snatched a tool off the table and grabbed Matt’s hand. Shiro twitched imperceptibly as the pliers crushed Matt’s middle finger, causing him to groan and droop forward as if trying to curl up and protect himself. But Myzax wasn’t finished, using the end of the pliers to rip off his fingernail.

Matt screamed.

Shiro could hear it echo throughout the room. It shot right through his heart. He needed to stop this, but he _couldn’t_. Haggar was watching him. How could he get them out of this? He needed to protect them, he needed-

Matt screamed again, jerking back as another fingernail joined the first on the floor.

“Haggar, is your machine ready?” Zarkon inquired, turning to her.

Shiro felt Haggar’s gaze turn away from him. He took the opportunity to catch Matt’s eyes. His honey-coloured orbs were panic-stricken. He glanced at his father, eyes imploring. Shiro’s eyes darted to the Commissioner, but the man was still unconscious, blood dripping from his mouth and pooling on the floor. He was in bad shape.

Before Shiro could attempt to communicate with Matt, Haggar stepped up to Shiro, blocking Matt from his view. “Give this a try.” She murmured, placing a device in Shiro’s unwilling hand.

Zarkon’s smile promised pain.

Shiro looked up at Matt and his partner stared back. His body was stiff with defiance and Shiro desperately tried to portray his thoughts with his own eyes. _Forgive me._

Shiro pressed the button on the device and Matt stiffened suddenly.

His scream this time ripped out of his throat, the sound petering out into a quiet whine, as if he couldn’t get enough breath to even scream properly. Electricity thrummed throughout the chair and Shiro could smell the scent of burning flesh.

Shiro could feel himself shattering to pieces. He could tell that Haggar’s eyes were still on him and he desperately tried to keep up his bored expression while his partner’s cries reverberated in his head.

Shiro let the button go as soon as he felt he could get away with it and Matt slouched, shaking so violently in his restraints that the heavy chains rattled. Zarkon didn’t even flinch, just watched impassively as Matt sobbed, slumping forward and dry heaving.

“Again.”

“No.” Shiro growled before he could stop himself.

The room went still, the only sound Matt’s shaky breathing.

“What is the meaning of this?” Haggar’s voice sounded dangerous as the tension in the room soared.

Shiro only had seconds to come up with an excuse for his actions. He turned his head slightly so Haggar could see the appraising look he settled on Matt.

“I get the feeling conventional torture won’t work on this one.” He shrugged as casually as he could manage when he felt like he was going to throw up. He stepped towards Matt and grabbed his chin, tilting his face up towards Shiro. “He’s not bad to look at.” He paused, licking his lips as if in anticipation. “I think I could break him in _other_ ways.”

Matt, bless him, seemed to understand what Shiro was doing and he attempted to jerk his head away but Shiro held on tightly. He knew it was hard enough to bruise but he had no choice if this was going to work. “Don’t you _fucking_ touch me, yo-”

Shiro cut him off with a backhanded slap, stunning him into silence. He then swooped down to forcefully cover Matt’s lips with his own. He really didn’t want their first kiss to be like this. Just another thing the Galra were ruining for him.

Matt didn’t hold back, biting down on his tongue hard enough to bleed. Shiro pulled back, spitting blood onto the floor.

“This one will be fun.” He glanced back at Zarkon, giving him a sly look.

Zarkon watched him closely. The room was tense and Shiro waited with baited breath.

Suddenly Zarkon burst into laughter, slapping the armrest of his chair. “Kuro, you continue to surprise me. Very well, you can have him for the night. Let’s see what you make of him.”

Shiro let his face split into a pleased smirk as Sendak stepped forward and started unhooking Matt from the chair. Matt struggled like a wild cat, scratching and biting but his movements were sluggish. Shiro turned to Zarkon, gesturing towards the Commissioner.

“What about the old man?”

Zarkon raised an eyebrow. “You can’t have them both, Kuro. The Commissioner will be dealt with later. We have time. He will be questioned thoroughly. For now, Myzax, lock him up next to Kuro’s room. We’ll let him listen to his son’s cries.”

Myzax gave an amused grin as he grabbed Sam’s chair, lifting the entire thing and just carrying it out himself.

Shiro wanted nothing more than to run after Sendak and get to Matt but he could feel Haggar’s suspicion from here and he needed to quell it as best he could. He had a feeling this mission was botched the moment he laid eyes on Matt, but the longer he could hold out the better. He was going to have to get them out of here and he wouldn’t be able to do that without casting suspicion on himself. Therefore, he’d probably have to escape with them and bring an end to this mission after only six months. The only other option was to not let them go and, well, that wasn’t an option at all.

He’d already gathered a fair amount of intel. It would have to be enough.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt struggled as much as he could, cursing at Sendak all the way to Shiro’s room. The man never responded to his insults, but he securely chained Matt to Shiro’s bed post before stepping back.

“I’ll be back in the morning to pick up whatever is left of you.”

Matt spat at him, but his mouth was so dry, and nothing really came out. Sendak just grinned at him maliciously as he locked the door behind him on his way out.

As soon as the door closed Matt ceased his struggles. He let his eyes roam around Shiro’s room. It was as meticulously neat as his room back at home. This, strangely enough, calmed him. They would get out of this. He had to believe that.

He could feel himself drifting off, his body sore and tired from the...torture. Matt shuddered and then groaned when that caused his cramped muscles to twitch painfully. His fingers were throbbing in time with his heartbeat and he couldn’t move some of them. He didn’t want to think about this. He didn’t want to think about anything right now.

At some point he must have passed out because he was startled awake when he heard the door unlock.

He looked up when the door opened quietly and Shiro stepped into the room, locking the door behind him. He made a beeline for Matt, crouching down beside him. His hands were shaking as he gently touched the side of Matt’s face.

“ _I’m sorry_ , I’m so sorry. I-”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”  


“I hurt you.” Shiro sounded so broken, his eyes scanning Matt carefully.

Matt let his head fall forward so his forehead rested on Shiro’s. “You had no choice. We’re going to get out of here and you can make it up to me with ice cream, snookums.”

Shiro’s laugh was quiet and wet, but it was a laugh, so Matt took that as a win.

“So, what’s the plan, boss?”

Shiro sat back and ran his fingers through his hair. “They’ve put your father next door, so it should be easy enough to grab him. I’ve got a friend with the FBI that can help us get out of here. Ulaz is undercover as well. The best time to escape would be during the night. Most of the gang is out during that time.”

Matt nodded, rolling his shoulders to stretch out the kinks.

Shiro stood up, moving towards the en-suite bathroom and returning with a damp towel. “Let me get you cleaned up before you get an infection.”

Matt rolled his eyes at the coddling but allowed Shiro to tend to him without any fuss.

Matt could feel himself relax, knowing that Shiro had his back again. They were going to get out of here.

Everything was going to be fine.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro lead Matt down the hall. His friend was draped over him like an over-amorous lover and he reeked of alcohol. Beside them, Ulaz half-carried Commissioner Holt. He had a hand clamped tightly around his arm. It looked like he was dragging the older man around, but it was mostly so he could hold him up. The Commissioner was in bad shape and was having trouble walking on his own. Luckily, being unable to walk properly only added to the illusion they were attempting to portray.

The hallways were mostly empty, and those few that were around didn’t pay them much mind. It looked like they were escorting two drunken colleagues and, with Ulaz being quite highly ranked within the Galra and Shiro himself considered to be an honored guest, no one was about to question them.

Well, no one with any sense, anyway.

Which was why Shiro sighed internally when Myzax came ambling around the corner ahead. His dark eyes landed on their group and he strode purposefully towards them, stopping in just the right spot to block the hallway.

“Ulaz.” Myzax gave the other man a respectful nod. His gaze slid over towards Matt and the commissioner and he blinked at them in confusion. Ulaz and Shiro had taken the time to give them some spare clothes and cover their faces with scarves and hats. The outfits weren’t all that unusual in a gang that took its shady business way too seriously.

“Just some idiots that drank too much.” Ulaz commented, managing just the right touch of exasperation. Matt, being the drama queen he was, took that moment to sway alarmingly and Shiro growled, yanking him back.

“Right.” Myzax muttered, barely concealing his complete disinterest. He turned to Shiro, eyes narrowing in hate. “Kuro. I’d been wanting to talk to you.”

Shiro’s guard went up at his tone. Myzax had never liked him but now was the worst possible time for him to act on it. Regardless, Shiro had to stay in character or risk sending out an alarm. Instead of replying, Shiro raised an eyebrow in question.

Myzax visibly grit his teeth, leaning into Shiro's personal space to look him right in the eyes. Shiro didn’t back down but he didn’t push forward either. Kuro was above such grandstanding.

“I’m just trying to understand why _you_ were at the party this afternoon.”

Shiro could feel Matt stiffen beside him and he squeezed his hand in quiet reassurance. He gave Myzax a look that clearly indicated his sincere belief that he was dealing with a simpleton.

“I was invited by the Emperor.” He said slowly, as if speaking to a child.

Myzax got even closer, something Shiro hadn’t thought possible. “I’m not stupid, asshole. I just want to know why you’re so _special_. What have you done to earn that kind of reward?”

Shiro let a smirk slowly slide onto his face. “I’m in no position to question the Emperor's decision to keep you out of the loop, Myzax. Perhaps he just thought you couldn't handle it.” The look on Shiro's face indicated he felt the same.

Myzax growled and shoved Shiro but he had been expecting it. He already had his feet planted so he barely shifted. He let his eyes narrow dangerously.

“Look, Myzax, I’m already busy babysitting two idiots. I don’t need to add a third.” He sneered. “I don’t have time to deal with your whining. If you’re so butthurt about this, why don’t you go suck Zarkon’s cock like a good little slut? I hear you’re good at it.”

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus.” He heard Matt whisper, so softly Shiro was certain he was the only one who heard it.

Myzax stared at him in shock, likely unused to someone standing up to him. It could also have been that that was the longest string of words he’d ever heard Kuro say. The look would have been amusing in any other situation. Shiro gestured for Ulaz to continue on and turned to follow him. They were so close to the exit, if they could just get through…

“Don’t you fucking turn away from me!” Myzax snarled, and Shiro didn’t even have time to think he just moved, pushing Matt away from him as he dodged to the side.

Myzax just barely missed him, stumbling from his own momentum and nearly crashing into the wall. He grabbed onto Matt in an attempt to stop himself, knocking the smaller man down in the process. Later, Shiro would swear that time had slowed down in that one moment, but it was probably just the adrenaline spike coursing through his veins. He watched, helpless to stop it, as the collision knocked Matt’s scarf and hat off.

Everyone froze. Myzax gawked, mouth gaping open in shock. That look swiftly shifted to smug as he looked over at Shiro. “CODE RED!!!” he bellowed, reaching down to pull out his radio.

Ulaz darted forward, arm shooting out in a blur of movement, striking the radio. It crashed to the floor and broke into pieces, but it was too late. An alarm had already started to blare, red lights flashing throughout the hallway.

Myzax cackled. “Something tells me I’m going to enjoy the next party.”

“Go fuck yourself and eat a bowl of rancid dicks!” Matt snarled, kicking his foot out to strike Myzax’s knee. Shiro heard the knee cap pop right out of it’s socket just before the man howled in pain and crashed back down to the floor.

Ulaz took the opportunity to kick Myzax in the head, rendering him unconscious.

Shiro grabbed Matt’s arm, pulling him to his feet and slinging the arm over his shoulder.

“Matt, where did you learn such language?” Commissioner Holt remarked.

“From you.”

Shiro pulled Matt forward as Ulaz adjusted his grip on the Commissioner and followed suit.

“Must have been hanging out with the wrong crowd.” Holt continued sadly, shaking his head in over-the-top woe.

Shiro sighed. Like father like son.

“Nope. It was all you.”

“Where did we go wrong, Colleen?” Holt asked his wife who most definitely was not there.

“Go left, Shiro.” Ulaz called out and Shiro veered around the corner, nearly colliding with two guards that were running down the hall.

Ulaz straightened his back, pointing to the right with his free hand. “The escapees went that way. We’d follow after them, but we have two injured comrades.”

The two guards stared at them in confusion, taking in Holt’s slumped form and Shiro’s glare.

“I said, go!” Ulaz commanded and the guards twitched before saluting and running off.

“Way to command a room there, Agent Man.” Matt grinned, clutching onto Shiro tightly as they rushed around another corner.

They burst through another door and out into the night. A full moon was illuminating the sky and stars twinkled brightly like Christmas lights. In the distance, they could see the building was surrounded by a tall, brick wall topped with barbed-wire. They would never be able to climb that. There was a large, iron gate that served as the only entrance to this hideout.

Ulaz glanced over at them.

“Can you run?”

Holt looked pale in the moonlight, but he nodded.

“No stopping now.” Matt agreed, jaw set with determination.

“Run for the gate. Don’t stop for anything. My partner, Thace, is waiting for us on the other side. Look for the red Jeep. He can’t stick around long, they’ll be after us immediately, so just go.”

Without waiting to make sure they understood, Ulaz looped Holt’s arm over his shoulder took off. Even holding up another person, he ran like a panther, movements graceful and light.

Shiro shared a quick look with Matt before following.

“STOP WHERE YOU ARE!” A voice blared over the speakers.

The four of them were suddenly illuminated by a spotlight, the light blinding.

“Spread out!” Ulaz yelled.

Gunshots echoed, the reverberation making it difficult to tell where the shots were coming from. Shiro crouched down as best he could while supporting Matt, trying to zig zag as much as possible. They were so close to freedom, he could almost taste it. Matt was clutching his hand so tightly he’d lost feeling in his fingers, but he refused to let go.

A bullet whizzed past his face and he took a moment to look back. A large group of the Galra were racing towards them, guns at the ready. They were quickly running out of time.

To make matters worse, the gate was closing. Instead of one large piece coming down to meet the ground, this gate had two sections, one from the bottom and one from the top that slowly inched towards each other to close in the middle. Even now, it was already one third closed.

Shiro put on a burst of speed and he could hear his partner muttering a string of colourful curse words as he struggled to keep up. Suddenly Matt cried out, leg buckling beneath him. He crashed to the ground in a plume of dust, sliding an entire foot in the dirt. Shiro skidded to a halt, reaching for him.

“Leave me!” Matt yelled, smacking away Shiro’s hand. “I’ve been shot, I can’t walk.”

Shiro glanced up. Ulaz was already at the gate, hopping over it gracefully before turning around to help Holt over the bottom portion. He looked at Shiro in alarm when he realized they weren’t right behind him.

“I’m not leaving you.” Shiro growled, grabbing Matt’s hand and pulling him up.

“Shiro, I can’t fucking walk! GO!” Matt snarled, trying to shove him away.

Another bullet whizzed past Shiro, grazing his arm. Their aim was getting better as they closed in.

“Fuck this.” Shiro rumbled, grabbing Matt around the waist and hoisting him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

He broke into a run, only a few feet from the gate. It was almost closed, they weren’t going to make it.

“Shiro!” Matt cried.

With a furious roar, Shiro hauled Matt off his shoulder and physically _threw_ him through the gap. He had just enough time to see Matt fall to the ground on the other side. His friend rolled over, staring up at Shiro with a horrified expression.

Shiro somehow managed to dredge up a smile. “Take care of your father.”

“Shiro!”

The gate slammed shut, blocking Matt from view and sealing Shiro’s fate.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_3 Years Ago_

Matt had already gone and poured two cups of coffee and placed the container back into the coffee machine before he caught himself.

“Shiro, coffee’s rea-”

He stopped and stared at the two familiar cups, steam lazily spiralling away from the rims. He could almost see Shiro standing by the counter with a warm smile on his face, looking wide awake for so early in the morning. Shiro’s black cat mug was sitting next to Matt’s glow-in-the-dark Star Trek cup, “Live Long and Prosper” glowing faintly in the dim light of early dawn.

Live long and prosper?

He blinked and the afterimage of Shiro disappeared, leaving the room feeling colder than before. What was he doing? Shiro had been missing for _months_. Nearly an entire _year_. Most people would have accepted the obvious by this point. Most people would have stopped looking by now, wouldn’t they? Hell, most of the precinct _had_ given up. If Shiro hadn’t turned up yet, chances were...

Chances were...

He was dead.

Takashi Shirogane was dead.

And yet here was Matt, refusing to acknowledge what should have been obvious and pouring coffee for someone that was likely long gone.

The two cups wavered in Matt’s vision as tears welled up in his eyes. Suddenly furious, Matt cried out, swiping his arm violently along the kitchen counter, knocking the two cups to the floor with a loud crash. Coffee splattered the wall and fridge, but Matt couldn’t see it. He grabbed the coffee container, throwing it as hard as he could against the wall. Searing hot coffee splashed out of it, burning his hands but he didn’t care. He didn’t-

“FUCK!”

The carton of cream was next, followed by the sugar bowl. Matt could vaguely hear someone screaming, a part of him aware it was him. Plates from the dish rack smashed into the fridge, shattering into tiny pieces, scratching the stainless steel. The dish rack followed soon after, breaking from the impact. Cutlery crashed to the floor, a knife narrowly missing his leg.

He only stopped when he registered pain in his foot. He glanced down, panting and shaking. His mug lay shattered on the floor, a chunk of it under his foot with the words “Live Long” still glowing faintly.

A sob wracked through his whole body, loud and unrestrained.

“ _Shiro_...” His voice sounded _wrecked_ in the silence of the kitchen. He gripped the counter as tears splashed over his burned hands. Slowly, he sank to the floor, curling up with his knees against his chest. Another loud wail escaped him as he sobbed, letting it all out. He didn’t give a shit anymore. Shiro was gone. _Shiro_ was _gone_.

He’d spent all this time refusing to acknowledge the obvious. He’d searched everywhere. All of his contacts, all of his colleague’s contacts, anyone that could possibly give him even a sliver of a sign that he was alive. He’d hardly slept, scrounging through the deepest, darkest parts of the black web to find _anything_ to show that they hadn’t killed him. That he _hadn’t_ been disposed of in such a way that they would never find a body.

That he hadn’t died so Matt could live.

Instead Matt had found nothing. Not even a single thing. The Galra were known for torture, but even they wouldn’t hold on to someone this long. He just...he hadn’t wanted to accept it. He didn’t want to see what everyone else had seen ages ago. When Hunk and Lance gave him those looks, sympathy mixed with pity. When Keith pulled him out that one night to stare at the stars and talk about Shiro. When Katie kept stopping by to check in on him, doing her best to distract him with projects and movies.

Shiro was dead.

Matt didn’t know how long he spent weeping. Eventually the sobs slowed to sniffles, but every once in awhile the tears made a comeback. He must have dozed off in exhaustion because eventually he opened his eyes to find light streaming in through the windows.

Tired and sore from sitting curled up for hours, Matt stumbled to his room intent on making it to his bed. He ignored the mess in the kitchen. Cleaning it was the last thing on his mind. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something flashing on his computer. Blearily, he shuffled over to turn off the screen when he froze.

He’d created a program to search the internet for anything pertaining to the Galra and their cohorts. He’d even uploaded pictures of Shiro so the computer could recognize him if any pictures or video were posted. So far none of the data had been reliable and none of it seemed to really help him in his search. It had been awhile since the computer had found anything new, but this time it showed a link to some kind of message board. The message board had since been deleted, but Matt was well aware that anything that was on the internet at any point could be recovered with the right skills.

Most importantly, the post had a grainy, low res photo. A photo that looking strikingly similar to Shiro.

Matt felt the room shift alarmingly around him and he gripped his desk chair for support. His heart was pounding a mile a minute as he scrambled to sit down, pulling up the website on his main screen despite his shaking hands.

The thread was titled “The Champion: When Do You Think He’ll Be Defeated?”. Matt’s eyes darted through the text, widening the further along he went.

From what he could tell, there seemed to be some sort of underground cage fight competition. It didn’t explicitly say it was being run by the Galra but Matt could tell from context and certain names that it was at least funded by them. He vaguely remembered hearing about this, but no one had managed to find much info on it. Missing people were reported every day, it was entirely possible that the Galra were using them to host these competitions.

It looked like these cage fights were anything but normal. The cages were a lot bigger than the usual, and they often had traps and other effects to ‘spice up’ the competition. There were cages with electrified walls, flamethrowers, even one cage that was filled entirely with water. These weren’t fought until someone was knocked out, these were fights to the death.

And the prize was to live on to fight again and again and again.

Most of the posts seemed to be a fan of this “Champion”, waxing poetic about his strength and endurance. Some seemed upset with his unwillingness to kill his opponents. Others seemed to like it when the Champion was forced to kill.

Matt felt sick.

Quickly, he made a copy of the page and then grabbed his phone. The phone rang only once before Keith picked up.

“Matt?”

“I found him.”

“…I’ll be there in five.”

\----------------------------------------------------

Matt tore down the halls, all pretence of stealth abandoned in the chaos. People ran screaming, making it hard to distinguish friend from enemy. Alarms rang overhead, loud and obnoxious overriding the gun shots and shouts as people fought. Some idiot had thrown a smoke grenade, making it difficult to see in the gloom. Flashing purple lights illuminated the hallways briefly through the smog. They all looked the same in his desperation. He had to find Shiro. He _needed_ to find him.

“Matt!” Pidge called, grabbing his arm to slow him down. Keith was right behind her, eyes darting around the gloom. “We’ll never find the prisoners by running blindly. Stop for a second and let me look at the map Ulaz gave us.”

Matt clenched his jaw in frustration, but he could recognize the sense of it. Of course it made sense, this was Pidge talking. He just didn’t want to wait. Every second it took them, the greater the chance that some enterprising gang member would think to destroy any “evidence”.

Pidge moved up against the wall, trying to stay out of the way as people ran by. Her eyes flickered over the map on her phone, trying to figure out where they were.

A gang member stumbled into Keith through the smog, reaching for him and trying to take his gun away. Keith grabbed his wrist, twisting it painfully behind his back. He kicked out the back of his legs and locked him in a choke hold, waiting until the other man went limp before lowering him to the ground.

“This way!” Pidge called, taking off down the hall.

Matt’s heart hammered in his chest as she led them down several hallways. This complex was enormous. The Galra were clearly doing well. They went down two flights of stairs into the basement. Things were less chaotic here. It looked like the fight hadn’t reached this far down. There were a few Galra members here, some seemed to be hiding away but they were not prepared for the storm that was Matt, Pidge and Keith. Nothing would stop them from finding Shiro.

Up ahead was a large, iron-barred door guarded by three armed Galra members. With a quick signal, the three officers split up, Keith to the left, Pidge to the right and Matt taking on the middle.

Keith climbed a nearby stack of tall crates, preparing to launch at his target from above. Pidge waited for him to get into position and, with a nod from Matt, she launched her taser. It caught the right-most guard smack dab in the chest and he went down, body stiff from the volts of electricity coursing through him.

When the other two turned to their comrade Keith leapt from the crates, crashing into his target and causing her to cry out in shock. Matt took advantage of the chaos and darted forward, but his opponent saw him coming and swung his staff at his head. Matt ducked swiftly, sliding on his knees to dodge another swing. He came up behind his attacker just in time to catch the staff in both hands, yanking it viciously and causing them to lose their grip. He grinned and turned the man’s own weapon against him, knocking him out cold. 

Matt kept watch as Keith and Pidge started checking the guards.

“Keys!” Pidge called out, tossing a ring of them towards Matt.

He snatched them out of the air and started testing them on the iron-barred door. There were quite a few keys, but he got lucky on the fourth one.

Keith and Pidge were right on his tail as they burst through the doors. They came into a hallway with doors lining each side. Some of them were already open and, to Matt’s dismay, none of the doors had windows so in order to see inside they would have to open the locked ones.

Starting with the first locked door, Matt started going through the keys. He finally got the right one on the seventh try. When he pushed the door open it was to find an empty room.

Frustrated, Matt turned to another door, thankful that that same key seemed to be working on all of them. The door was a bit stiff, rusty from the damp and ill-kept basement. He gave it a good shove with his shoulder and it gave way to a tiny, dimly lit room, barely bigger than a closet. Matt’s heart lurched, his claustrophobia causing his hands to shake.

The first thing he saw was Shiro.

“Shiro!” Matt gasped.

Shiro was propped up against the far wall in a sitting position. His legs were bent and pulled up to his chest as there wasn’t even enough room for him to stretch them out. His head was tilted back and to the side at an awkward angle, his eyes staring at the ceiling. He didn’t even twitch when Matt called out his name.

Matt took a tentative step into the room, nose wrinkling at the stench of sweat and blood. There was a bucket in the corner that smelled foul. Matt carefully avoided it as he moved towards his partner.

Upon closer inspection, Shiro’s eyes were unfocused, the pupils so small they were basically pinpricks. He was breathing, though shallowly, and didn’t seem to be all there.

“Shiro?” Matt called again, stomach sinking with dread.

He moved even closer but Shiro still didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. He was flushed and sweating. Matt scanned his body, taking in the dirty purple t-shirt and black bodysuit. There were rips and tears in the stained fabric, testament to the battles he’d fought in. Matt’s heart clenched when he noticed his left arm. The sleeve was ripped just above the elbow, but he could see the telltale marks of a syringe marring his pale skin.

Drugs. They’d drugged him.

Anger, so absolute, so all consuming coursed through him. He wanted to hurt them for what they’d done. He clenched his fist, letting his nails dig into his skin to ground himself. He would get back at them once Shiro was safe.

He reached for Shiro’s face, turning it towards him gently. There was a barely-healed scar, deep and painful-looking across the bridge of his nose. Matt wasn’t sure what could cause such an injury. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He was also surprised to see white hair sprouting from the top of Shiro’s head, mixing in with the black strands.

“Shiro!” He called a little more loudly, gently tapping the side of his friend’s face.

Shiro’s glazed eyes finally turned towards Matt but they were still out of focus.

“No…” Shiro slurred, clenching his eyes shut.

“Shiro? It’s me! I’m-“

“Nonononono…” Shiro shook his head, trying to pull away from Matt but his movements were sluggish, like he didn’t even have the energy.

“What’s wrong with him?” Pidge’s voice sounded over his shoulder and Matt glanced back to see her and Keith in the doorway. They both looked stricken, taking in the scene.

“He’s drugged, we need to get him out of here.”

Keith stepped forward, squeezing past Matt to get to Shiro’s right side. It was a tight fit with all three of them in such an enclosed space, but after some wiggling he managed to flatten himself against one wall.

Matt pulled Shiro towards him so Keith could grab his other arm only to pause in horror.

His right arm was gone.

Well, most of it. The arm was hastily bandaged just above the elbow. Blood had soaked through, leaving them stained red. Some was even dripping onto the concrete floor. It must have been a recent injury and obviously they didn’t care enough to bandage it properly. What remained of the arm was covered in a spiderweb of dark veins, vicious and sickly. Infection.

No wonder Shiro was flushed and sweaty. He was burning with fever.

“I’m going to kill them all.” Keith snarled, brutal and wild. Shiro muttered something but he was slurring so badly Matt couldn’t tell what he was saying. Shiro curled up tighter, moving away from the anger radiating off Keith in waves.

Pidge looked murderous, but she visibly pulled herself back together. She grabbed her radio, calling for paramedics to be ready and providing quick details about Shiro’s condition.

Matt ground his teeth together, trying not to let himself drown in guilt. Shiro was here because of him. All of these injuries, the drugs, his…arm, were because of Matt.

He didn’t want to think about what had happened here. Didn’t want to think about Shiro squished in this tiny prison, alone in the dark, drugged out of his mind. Didn’t want to think about the fights, staring death in the face every time he stepped into that cage. He didn’t want to think about the look on Shiro’s face when his arm, his _arm_ -no. He didn’t want to _think_.

It was a pointless dream. He’d never been able to shut his brain up.

“Shiro, we’re going to get you out of here, okay?” Matt said, gently touching the other man’s shoulder.

Shiro flinched violently, shaking his head slowly.

“’s too early…’lease.”

Keith frowned in confusion, but Pidge clenched her radio so tightly Matt could hear it cracking. “We’re not taking you to fight Shiro. It’s us, we came here for you.” She implored.

Shiro’s eyes travelled slowly between them, still uncomprehending.

Matt leaned in, “Takashi.” he called, watching as Shiro froze and turned to him.

“M…Matt?” His tone was so hopeful, Matt’s heart clenched tightly.

“It’s me, big guy.”

“Why…y’ ‘ere?” Shiro was still struggling to talk properly, looking like every word was an enormous effort.

Matt plastered on what would have been a smile on a good day. Today was not a good day. “Doctor said you’re lacking Vitamin Me.”

Shiro stared at him for a moment before his eyes widened. Matt could see the moment everything finally clicked. Tears welled up in his dark eyes and his face just _crumbled_. Matt could feel tears falling down his own face as Shiro leaned forward, his left hand clutching weakly at Matt’s shirt.

“Matt…Matt…” Shiro murmured, burying his face in Matt’s shoulder.

Matt slid his arm carefully around Shiro’s shoulder, letting his hand slip into greasy hair as he clutched Shiro to him. He could feel Shiro’s heart beating, disturbingly sluggish but still _beating_. He was alive. He was here.

And Matt was never going to let him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter left after this, ladies and gents!
> 
> So I actually did research on cage fighting. I wanted to know if there had ever actually been any instances of underground cage fights with unwilling participants that were forced to fight while rich people or criminals bet on their success or failure. You know, the kind of stuff you see in movies and on TV. I was only able to find one instance of it, some criminal organization that forced their captives to fight. Don't know if they actually bet on them or anything. There are actual underground cage fighting rings all over the world, but they aren't to the death. They are more like "no rules, bare-knuckle fighting" where the participants actually want to be there to make money off their fights. So, basically, take everything described here in this fic with a grain of salt. I'm using some artistic licence. :P
> 
> Also, don't look up info on cage fighting if you don't want to discover that there are actual, real, legal cage fighting competitions involving children.


	6. Chapter 6

_Present Day_

Matt stared through the two-way glass, arms crossed and shoulders tense. Sendak was on the other side, sitting casually in his chair with his hands handcuffed securely to the table. Considering his fight with Shiro and Hunk (and subsequently getting hit by a car) he looked relatively healthy, even with the cast around his arm and the bandages covering his eye.

Matt wanted him to be bleeding.

This was a man who had hurt Shiro, had hurt Matt’s father, had hurt _Matt_. Watching this bastard burn would bring Matt more satisfaction than a thousand pounds of gold. He clenched his fists so tightly his arms shook, fingernails digging into his flesh. What he wouldn’t give to wrap them around Sendak’s fucking throat and _squeeze_.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t be the one to interview him.” A voice commented, startling him from his dark thoughts.

“Captain.” Matt ground out, sparing her a brief glance before turning back to Sendak.

“Matt, I can’t let you in that room if you’re going to hurt him.”

“I won’t.”

It felt like the lie it was.

 Allura sighed, moving closer to him and surveying the perpetrator herself. “Believe me when I say we _all_ would love to get vengeance on this,” she paused, visibly restraining herself. “Man. But doing that would jeopardize everything. Not just this case, but all of our careers.”

 He already knew that and having it pointed out to him wasn’t helping his mood. Mainly because she was right.

“Let the others take care of this for you.” Allura said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “He’ll get no mercy from them.”

Matt knew that too. If this were any other perp, he might actually feel sorry for them. But not Sendak. Never Sendak.

“He set Shiro’s progress back by months, maybe even over a year. I just-“

_I just want him to be happy._

Allura gave him a small smile. “Addiction is not an easy thing to battle with but Shiro’s come very far. It’s bad enough when you know you did it to yourself, but Shiro’s addiction was forced on him by people that wanted to hurt him. I think you underestimate your own effect on his battle. I don’t think he’d be doing as well as he is if it weren’t for you.”

“You don’t know that.”

Allura’s smile widened. “He’s never been happier than when he’s with you. A blind man could see that.”   

Matt could feel his cheeks heat up and he turned away. Did he have that kind of effect on Shiro? Shiro certainly had that kind of effect on Matt.

“Go home, Matt. Shiro could probably use the distraction.” Allura ordered, moving back towards the door. “I don’t want to see either of you in my precinct until tomorrow. Leave the interrogation to us. We’ll take care of it.”

Matt sighed and nodded.

With one last look at Sendak, he turned away.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro stared at the ceiling. He was bored. He wasn’t allowed back at work until tomorrow and even then it was limited duties due to his cracked ribs. Everyone had even refused to send him some paperwork to do. He was pretty much healed up, though, so he didn’t understand all the caution. Until his release, he was stuck at home with nothing to do. He didn’t do well with inactivity. He needed to stay busy to keep his mind off…things.

Shiro sighed, rolling over on the couch to peer at the television. It was playing some cartoon and Shiro wasn’t really all that interested. He squirmed. The couch was too small for him, so his legs hung over the armrest. They’d considered getting a bigger couch in the past, but Shiro was loathe to give up their prime cuddle spot.

There was the jingle of a key in the lock and Shiro glanced up as the door opened. Matt gave him a soft smile as he locked the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes and tossed his jacket over their dining room chair.

“Hey, hang that up. I cleaned earlier!” Shiro groaned.

Matt didn’t say anything, he just plodded over to the couch and plopped himself on top of Shiro.

Shiro grunted, but let Matt snuggle into him, wrapping his arms around the shorter man. Matt’s hair tickled the bottom of his chin, but he didn’t care. He pressed a kiss to the top of Matt’s head, smiling as Matt tugged him closer. He could smell Matt’s shampoo, some ridiculous citrus one marketed to women because “Maybe men want to smell like Orange Explosion too, Shiro!”.

Shiro wasn’t sure how this was so easy. In Shiro’s experience, he never got to take the easy road. But as usual, Matt seemed to be the exception. As usual, Matt smashed through the rules like they were meant to be broken. They’d been friends for years but now they were…boyfriends? Lovers? He wasn’t sure what term to use. It should have been awkward. It should have taken some getting used to. Instead, they slotted together like a well-worn puzzle, as if their connection was inevitable if they just got around to completing it.

“Everything okay?” Shiro asked, resting his chin on Matt’s head.

“They wouldn’t let me interrogate that dickface.” Matt mumbled into his chest.

Shiro hummed. “Probably the right call.”

Matt punched his arm, careful of the prosthetic. “You’re mean.”

Shiro hummed again and started pressing kisses all over his face. Matt laughed, trying to push him away but Shiro was relentless, kissing his forehead, his cheek, his nose. He finished off with a proper kiss, slow and sensual. They were still learning what the other liked and Matt insisted that practice made perfect.

By the time they pulled apart, both of them were flushed. Shiro wondered if he’d ever be able to kiss Matt without his face overheating.

“I suppose I can forgive you, love-muffin.” Matt grinned, giving him a wink.

Shiro grinned back. “You’re too kind, babe.”

Matt’s blush darkened and Shiro’s grin grew.

“No fair! You don’t react to any of my pet names but all you have to say is ‘babe’ and I blush like an anime schoolgirl.”

Shiro felt like his cheeks were hurting from smiling so much but he couldn’t help it. His heart felt like it was going to burst. Matt loved him. He loved _him_. Sometimes Shiro still couldn’t even believe it. He wasn’t anything special, but somehow Matt made him feel like he was.

Shiro let his fingers card through Matt’s longer hair and the other man hummed in contentment.

Laying here, with Matt in his arms, some cheesy cartoon in the background and the rest of the evening free was perfect.

The others could interrogate Sendak.

There was no where else Shiro would rather be.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sendak sat in the hard, plastic chair. He’d been sitting there for what felt like hours, but he refused to show how uncomfortable he was. He was motherfucking Sendak. One of the biggest and baddest leaders of a terrifying gang. He answered only to Haggar and Zarkon. His incarceration was only temporary. Even if he made it all the way to prison, his cohorts would help him escape. He wasn’t worried.

The door to the interrogation room opened and a man entered. He had caramel skin, short brown hair and a used car salesman smile. The man waltzed into the room like he owned the place and slammed a thick folder onto the table. He propped one leg up on the other chair and leaned closer to Sendak.

“Hi. I’m Lance.” He winked, looking Sendak up and down slowly. Sendak could have sworn his smile actually sparkled. “If being sexy was a crime, you’d be guilty as charged.”

Sendak felt sweat drip down his neck. This was an odd interrogation tactic.

He wasn’t worried. He wasn’t.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

The door to the interrogation room burst open with such force that the door crashed into the wall with a loud bang and left a sizeable dent in the plaster. Sendak only just managed to stop himself from jumping a foot in the air. He was on edge after that last interrogation attempt. God only knew what was coming next.

A dark-haired man stomped into the room like the wrath of God, eyes glaring daggers and jaw clenched in fury. He didn’t even bother sitting in the other chair. Instead, he violently pulled it out and shoved it away. He slammed both of his hands down on the table and Sendak flinched imperceptibly.

“I’m going to kill you.” The man growled, voice low and dangerous.

Sendak was _not_ worried, okay? He _wasn’t_.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Sendak warily watched the interrogation room door, dreading the moment it opened again. After the last officer, maintenance had had to come in and fix the door knob that had been damaged by its sudden collision with the wall. It allowed him a brief respite from further interrogation. That was only a good thing because this precinct was clearly full of deranged psychopaths. Sendak could say that because he’d _seen_ deranged psychopaths. Had even worked with them on numerous occasions.

He needed to get out of here.

Before he could even consider how to escape, the door opened quietly. A short woman entered the room, arms wrapped around a folder that seemed almost too big for her. She calmly closed the door behind her with a quiet click. She turned towards him, adjusting her large glasses.

There was nothing that should be intimidating about this woman. She was so small. Her light brown curls framed a pixie-like face. She wasn’t glaring at him, she wasn’t even screaming or throwing things. Hell, she hadn’t even _said_ anything.

And yet, all of Sendak’s finely honed instincts were blaring alarms at him to run the hell away. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.

Sendak wasn’t worried.

He was fucking _terrified_.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, we have an update on the Galra murders.” Allura announced in the briefing room. She took a moment to bring up a picture of the second victim’s body. “Forensics has confirmed that the burnt body found at the park does, in fact, belong to Mr. Brian Beezer.”

Allura pressed a button on her remote and the photo switched to two mug shots of Rolo and Beezer.

“All leads seem to be pointing to Galra involvement.” She continued, sweeping the room with a serious gaze. “This needs to stop before more people are killed. Thankfully, we captured this man,” She paused and brought up the picture of Sendak. Pidge booed, and Matt threw his sandwich at the screen.

“This man has been pretty tight-lipped, even through extensive interrogation. However, he did let one thing slip.” She smiled. “The Galra have put out a hit on Detectives Shirogane and Holt.”

“Oh snap!” Lance grinned, looking impressed. “How much?”

Allura glanced down at her papers. “More if they’re brought in alive. Regardless, it’s enough to cause some problems…and some opportunities. Shiro, care to explain the plan?”

Shiro nodded, standing up to move to the front of the room. He scanned the group, taking in his colleagues, his _friends_. What they were about to propose would require an enormous amount of trust in their abilities.

Shiro couldn’t think of a better team for this responsibility.

“The Galra have placed quite a sum on our heads. The hit has been circulated throughout the gang and even a few outside contracts.” He took the remote Allura handed to him and pressed the button. The screen switched to a map with a large dot. “Sendak has been…kind enough to provide us the drop site. We plan to infiltrate their location by offering Matt and myself for the bounty.”

The room burst into a cacophony of sound, everyone trying to speak over each other in their haste. Matt was the only one staying silent, leaning his chair back casually.

“You can’t be serious. Are you serious?” Hunk cried, voice raising several octaves.

“Are you crazy!?” Lance’s voice elevated above the rest. “We’re not handing you guys over to them!”

“I don’t like this.” Keith frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as Pidge nodded vigorously beside him.

Shiro raised his hands in a placating motion. “We’ve got a plan, so hear us out, okay?”

It took awhile for everyone to settle down, but eventually they managed.

“The four of you will act as a bounty hunter group that managed to snatch us up.” Shiro instructed. “Matt and I will, of course, be armed and bugged. With four bounty hunters, two of you should be able to sneak away to break through security so that Allura can enter with the SWAT team. We can take them out in one fell swoop.”

The room fell silent as everyone glanced at each other.

“Shiro, this could end very badly.” Pidge said slowly, but Shiro could tell she was considering it.

“This is not a plan we can think through half-heartedly.” Allura announced, stepping up beside Shiro. “We have someone on the inside that will help you once you get in. We will try and plan for every scenario. But this may be our only chance of taking out Zarkon and Haggar. With them gone, we’ll have effectively cut the head off the beast, so to say.”

“So, are you all in?” Shiro asked.

Everyone glanced at each other once more before slowly nodding.

It was time to put on a show.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh, snuggle bear, you take me to all the nice places.” Matt grinned, giving Shiro a wink.

They were making their way to the Galra base on foot, having parked their vehicle a fair distance away. Allura would bring it up closer in case they needed to make a hasty retreat. Pidge, Lance, Keith and Hunk were all dressed the part, complete with a veritable army’s worth of weapons and enough bling to make a rapper jealous. 

Matt could see Shiro fiddling with his hands, clearly uncomfortable with them being handcuffed behind his back. At Matt’s words, he relaxed and looked over. “Only the best for you, babe.”

Matt could immediately feel his face heat up and- god dammit! Why was he so weak to that!?

Hunk chuckled. “You guys are cute.”

“You’re confusing cute with disgusting.” Pidge interjected.

“You’re just jealous, Pidgeon.” Matt grinned. “I hope that one day you will find a robot that loves you for you.”

Pidge rolled her eyes.

“Shut your mouth, insect!” Lance yelled, smacking Matt lightly with his baton. “No talking from the prisoners!”

Matt gave him a lecherous grin and waggled his eyebrows ridiculously. “Hit me harder, baby.”

Lance squeaked and stumbled to a stop. His wide eyes seemed to be staring at nothing.

“I think you broke him.” Pidge commented, poking Lance in the arm. The man didn’t move.

Shiro made a strangled noise which indicated he only just barely stopped himself from laughing. Matt grinned. Making Shiro laugh was so satisfying.

“Go reboot your boyfriend, Keith.” Hunk sighed. “We should be in sight of the base soon and our inside guy is expecting us.”

Keith gave a put-upon sigh as he fell back to talk to Lance. Pidge pulled out two black sacks and turned to her ‘prisoners’. “Alright, gentlemen. It’s showtime.”

Shiro sighed and ducked his head so Pidge could put the sack over it. He looked silly with it on, but it fit with the theme they were trying to go with. His body stiffened under the sack and Matt really hoped he was going to be okay with that on. He shuffled closer to him so he could feel Matt’s presence.

“We can take it off anytime, pancake. Just say the word.”

“It’s fine.” Shiro’s voice rumbled from behind the sack and Matt decided to take him at his word. He couldn’t always trust Shiro to admit when something was wrong, but during an important mission like this, he would never jeopardize the team.  

Pidge moved over to Matt and he gave her a smile as she reached up and covered his head as well. Darkness settled around him and Matt felt his own heart skip a beat. He hadn’t anticipated that _he_ would have any trouble with the sack, but apparently his claustrophobia didn’t care for this all that much.

Shiro seemed to sense his discomfort because he pressed against Matt’s side.

“Is that okay, Matt?” Pidge asked from in front of him.

Matt took a deep breath to calm himself down. The sack smelled like laundry detergent and he could just see faint bits of light through the dark fabric. He was fine. The others were right there, he could make it the short distance to the base. From there they could take off the sacks to show off their prizes.

“It’s fine. Let’s just go.” He said, setting his shoulders determinedly.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro squirmed as they road the elevator to Zarkon’s office.

They’d arrived at what Shiro could only assume was the Galra’s current base. Unlike the large base located in the middle of nowhere he had been in previously, this one was in the heart of the city and took up several floors of a large high-rise building. The police had managed to make a large dent in the Galra’s operations back when they had rescued Shiro a few years ago, but it looked like the gang was still doing well if they could afford such a location.

It was quite late at night so Shiro could assume there weren’t a lot of office workers around but walking around with a large number of weapons and two people clearly being held captive was not very subtle. Thankfully, the Galra had thought of that and there was a secret entrance located through an abandoned subway tunnel.

They’d been greeted by a guard that led them inside. Keith and Hunk had split off from the group to ‘relax’. Shiro still had the sack over his head so he couldn’t see where they were going or how many people were in the building, but he hoped they’d be able to find the security room without coming across any trouble. He didn’t like that he couldn’t keep an eye on them. Logically, he knew that they were very good at what they did, but knowing he couldn’t help them was leaving him feeling uneasy. He shifted again, and Lance squeezed his arm comfortingly.

The elevator beeped quietly as they passed each floor. No one dared say anything in case it was bugged.

“Everyone is in place.” Allura’s voice sounded over Shiro’s earpiece. “We need you to keep them distracted long enough for the others to disable the security. From there, they can turn off the power. That will prevent Zarkon and Haggar from taking the elevator to escape. If you’re able to take them down, go for it. Otherwise, stay safe until we can get to you. Our informant should be around to help you as well.”

Lance shifted beside him. “Looks like everything went according to plan.”

Shiro assumed he was trying to signal Allura that he heard her orders while also putting on an act for any possible cameras.

“Damn right it did. We’re about to pick up our biggest reward yet.” Pidge replied, sounding very smug. She was a little too good at that.

The elevator gave a pleasant chime as it arrived on the twenty-fourth floor.

Lance pushed Shiro out and then down on his knees, keeping his gun pressed up against Shiro’s back for show. “Hey there,” Shiro could hear the smile in Lance’s voice. “I’ve got a _big package_ to deliver.”

Shiro groaned internally at the double-entendre.

“Welcome.” A cold, dark voice greeted and Shiro could feel the hair raise on the back of his neck. He didn’t have to pretend the shudder that coursed through his body. That was a voice he would recognize anywhere. It was one he’d heard often while awake and in his nightmares.

Still, the feeling of terror instilled in him by that voice was nothing compared to the next.

“We’re pleased you were able to capture them so quickly.” Haggar said and it sounded like she was standing closer to them than Zarkon was.

Shiro could feel panic well up in him at just the _sound_ of her voice. He quashed it down ruthlessly even as his right arm throbbed in phantom pain. He could still remember her cold grip on his shoulder, claw-like fingers scraping down his arm and causing pain, pain, pain-

“The Lions don’t dick around.” Pidge replied, cutting through Shiro’s thoughts. “When we have a job to do, we do it.”

“Well, _I’m_ certainly impressed.” A new voice added and Shiro frowned. He didn’t recognize that one. “Assuming, of course, that these are the right people?”

“See for yourself.” Lance said.

Shiro blinked at the sudden influx of light and cool air as Lance removed his cover. Beside him, Matt was doing the same. Pidge must have pushed him to his knees as well and his hair was sticking up all over the place, face red from the heat. Shiro guessed he himself wasn’t looking much better.

As his eyes adjusted to the sudden light, Shiro took in the room. It was large, about the size of the precinct’s briefing room. Zarkon was seated on an honest-to-god throne at the front of the room and beside him stood a man with long white hair and an intrigued expression. Haggar was to Shiro’s right, moving forward to get a look at them. She grabbed Matt’s hair and yanked his head back forcefully so she could see his face.

“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Shiro snarled. He moved towards her, but Lance yanked him back, hitting him with the butt of his gun. Shiro could tell he’d held back on it but it still hurt.

“Like what you see?” Matt said through grit teeth. Haggar’s grip on his hair tightened enough that he hissed. She threw his head down hard enough that he almost smacked it into the tile floor, but he caught himself.

She turned towards Shiro, her movements so smooth it looked like she was gliding. Her robes trailed behind her. He glared at her, all the hatred he had bottled away leaking into his expression. “Welcome back, Champion.” Her smile was predatory.

Shiro spat at her.

The whole room froze. Zarkon’s mouth hung open slightly. The man beside him raised his eyebrows so high they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline. Pidge’s eyes widened in alarm and Lance gaped. Spit trickled down Haggar’s robe, dripping onto the floor.

“Don’t mind him, he’s like a llama, spits at everything.” Matt cut in and it was so ridiculous that everyone was momentarily confused.

Finally, Haggar seemed to recover enough to backhand Shiro across the face. Hard. Without being able to use his arms to stop himself, Shiro smashed into the floor. He struggled to pick himself back up, spitting blood onto the dark tile.

“Well,” Zarkon said, leaning back in his throne. “It looks like you brought us the right people. You’re already one step ahead of the useless imbeciles currently in our employ.”

Lance managed a graceful bow, which hopefully detracted from Pidge’s stiff nod.

“Haggar, give them their bounty and prepare the cells for our new guests.”

The man beside Zarkon stepped forward, intelligent eyes sweeping the lot of them. “Just a moment. Capturing the Champion is no small feat,” He gave Shiro a smile. “And this one,” he gestured to Matt. “Has certainly given us more than his fair share of trouble. I’m curious as to how you captured them. I must admit, the life of a bounty hunter sounds strangely… _alluring_.”

Shiro kept his face blank. ‘Alluring’ was supposed to be a sign from their man on the inside. This was their connection?

“I’m sorry,” Pidge said, casting a glance at Lance. “Who are you?”

“My apologies. Where are my manners? My name is Lotor.” The man gave them a gracious bow, careful to keep his back to Zarkon and Haggar, who had moved to stand beside her leader. As he straightened, Lotor gave them all a wink.

“Alright, Lotor,” Lance said grandly, though Shiro could see the tension in his shoulders. “let me set the scene. It’s night, the moon is hanging brightly in the sky, lending a soft glow to all that the light touches. Your hero, Lance, stalks through the shadows like a panther-“

“I seem to remember that we work as a team.” Pidge interrupted.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. So anyway, there I was, sneaking through the trees towards the precinct-“

“We’re in the city. There were no trees.”

“Pidge, let me tell the story!”

“Not if you’re going to tell it wrong.”

“I was just-“

“Enough.” Zarkon commanded, and Shiro could hear the light clacking noise of their teeth as Lance and Pidge’s mouths clamped shut.

Zarkon rose from his chair slowly. He surveyed them for a moment, before letting his gaze rest on Shiro and Matt. “Did you really think we would fall for this?”

Shiro felt a tendril of dread creep up his spine.

“We know about your colleagues gathered outside.” Zarkon continued, taking a slow step closer to them. “We know about your friends trying to interrupt our security.”

He took another step.

“We know about the guns and the bugs hidden on your bodies.”

Another step.

“We know everything.”

He stopped in the middle of the room. With a snap of his fingers, hidden doors opened up on one side of the room, revealing a row of armed guards at the ready.

“Your colleagues outside are fighting for their lives as we speak. Your friends downstairs are already dead. This game was over before it even began. Victory or Death, that is the Galra way.”

Shiro’s eyes darted around the room. They were trapped. The only way out was the elevator, they would never make it in time. Lance had frozen at the mention of Hunk and Keith’s deaths and Pidge had that glazed look that indicated she was thinking hard and coming up blank. Lotor had gotten very still and Shiro still didn’t know if they’d been betrayed or if he was just as surprised as them. Shiro turned to Matt only to find him staring back and-

“Vrepit S-“

The lights went out, plunging the room into total darkness.

It took only seconds for all hell to break loose.

Cries of alarm reverberated around the room. Someone shot their gun in fright. Shiro tackled Lance’s feet to knock him to the ground to protect him from gunfire.

“Now!” Lotor shouted and Shiro could hear another set of hidden doors crash open.

“Stop them!” Zarkon sounded _furious_.

Shiro rolled onto his back, bringing his legs up to his chest so he could bring his arms forward from behind his back. From there he was able to pinch the lever to get them off. Gunshots echoed throughout the room, the sparks of light briefly illuminating the chaos. Other sounds broke through here and there. Someone crying out in pain. The sound of a body collapsing to the ground. The drip of blood. What Shiro assumed was plaster dust rained down on his head as he pulled out his own gun.

“Shiro!” Matt yelled to his right. “I can’t find Pidge!”

Shiro turned towards him but then he heard Pidge cry out in agony to his left and when did she get over there? The darkness was so disorienting. Adrenaline pumped through him, making every sound crystal clear and making it difficult to focus.

He could hear Pidge struggling with someone and he blindly charged. He crashed into two bodies. Shiro heard a crunch and the sound of broken glass- Pidge’s glasses? He managed to grab a fistful of robes and he realized he was holding on to Haggar. With a furious snarl, he pushed her back into what he hoped was one of the walls. She hissed in pain as her head collided with the elevator door. 

The emergency lights flickered on, casting the room in a purple glow.

Shiro panted, blinking the spots of darkness from his eyes.

Pidge was on the floor clutching a gunshot wound to her shoulder. Blood was seeping out from between her fingers, but her eyes were alert.

Lance was on the other side of the room. He looked relatively unhurt, his gun clutched in his hands. There were two guards dead beside him.

On either side of the room were the bodies of dead Galra guards. It looked like the ones that Zarkon had summoned were killed by the ones that had appeared on Lotor’s command.

Speaking of Lotor, he was nowhere to be seen.

Shiro didn’t have time to be concerned about that, because Zarkon was standing by his throne with his arm wrapped around Matt’s throat and a gun pointed to his head.

Shiro roughly twisted Haggar around and put her in the same hold. She was panting hard, but she stilled when he pressed the muzzle to her temple.

“We’re done here, Zarkon.” Shiro announced. “There’s still three of us and only one of you. Let him go.”

Zarkon’s arm tightened around Matt’s throat, causing him to wheeze. “That’s where you’re wrong, Champion. You won’t shoot me so long as I’m holding your friend hostage.”

Shiro gave Haggar a shake. “I’ve got her. Let him go and I’ll let her go.”

Zarkon laughed, grip tightening even further. Matt was starting to turn purple and he pawed at Zarkon’s arm. “Your greatest weakness has always been the fact that you care, Champion. You would never let me kill this man. I don’t share that weakness. I _don’t_ care if you kill her.”

Shiro could feel Haggar twitch in his grip.

There was a tense silence, the only sound Matt’s struggling breaths.

Matt looked up at Shiro intently, his golden orbs muted in the purple light. Shiro stared back.

No, he couldn’t possibly-

It might work.

It was their only chance.

Matt gave him a small nod, just barely noticeable at this distance.

Shiro looked up at Zarkon.

“Fuck you.”

He pointed his gun at Matt and pulled the trigger.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Searing pain tore through Matt’s leg – why was it always his leg, dammit – but he’d been ready for it. The gun was high enough calibre to go right through his leg and sink into Zarkon’s. Matt’s leg gave way only seconds before Zarkon’s, but it was enough time for him to twist away from Zarkon’s suddenly slack grip.

Matt rolled away, reaching for his own gun.

But they’d underestimated Zarkon’s stamina. He was already lifting his own gun.

And pointing it back at Shiro.

“TAKASHI!” Matt screamed as a bang reverberated around the room.

Blood splattered against Matt’s face, causing him to flinch. Shiro blinked at him but otherwise didn’t move. Matt frowned and turned back to Zarkon just in time to see him collapse forward, part of his face blown off. Behind him, Lotor stood with his own gun still in the air and every damn hair in place, what the fuck.

“What the fuck.” Lance said, unwittingly echoing Matt’s own thoughts.

Matt watched as Lotor slid his gun back into his holster, casual as you please.

“Well that didn’t quite go according to plan.” Lotor said, surveying the room.

“There was a plan?” Lance asked incredulously, voice raising into hysterical territory.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt sat in the back of an ambulance. The doors were open, and he let his legs dangle off the edge. It was the most comfortable position he could find for his bandaged leg. He could see the organized chaos going on outside. Police officers, SWAT members and paramedics swarmed the area, patching up the injured and taking inventory. He could just make out Allura in the distance, giving out orders like a true captain.

Lance was standing by Keith’s stretcher, talking to him quietly. The black-haired man had been injured trying to protect Hunk while he fiddled with the security and power systems. The end results were some cuts and a pretty nasty concussion, but they’d been successful even after Zarkon sent some goons after them.

Speaking of Hunk, the man was helping dole out medical supplies and food to everyone. Matt watched as he was joined by Shay, a paramedic. She smiled at him and stayed to help hand out supplies.

Pidge was resting on the stretcher behind Matt. She’d bled quite a bit, but the shot was a clean through and through. No muscles were damaged, and she would have full mobility once it healed up.

Lotor was talking to a group of officers nearby. Matt wasn’t sure what to think about him yet. He had helped them, had saved Shiro, but Matt didn’t really understand why he was helping them. He hadn’t had a chance to question him yet. Soon enough, he supposed.

“Matt, how are you feeling?” Shiro asked for the fifth time in the last hour, poking his head around the back of the ambulance.

“C’mere.” Matt said, making grabbing motions towards his…boyfriend?

Shiro smiled and stepped into the space between Matt’s open legs, wrapping his arms around his waist. Matt draped his own arms around Shiro’s neck, pulling him close. For a moment he stayed quiet, just enjoying the feeling of Shiro against him, heart beating against his chest.

“I’m sorry I shot you.” Shiro mumbled into Matt’s shoulder.

Matt laughed. “Shiro, my sweet, sweet pop-tart. Don’t apologize for something I told you to do.”

“You didn’t tell me to do that.”

“I didn’t have to. You’re psychic when it comes to me, remember? I knew you were lying. Don’t deny it.”

Matt could feel Shiro smile against his shoulder. “You’re right, I am psychic.”

Matt felt his own face split into a grin. “Of course I’m right.” He leaned back so he could cup Shiro’s face and pull him in for a kiss, slow and sweet.

Matt felt like he should be more excited about the fact that they’d just helped take down the largest criminal syndicate in the world, one that had been responsible for the torment of so many people, including himself and Shiro.

In the end, that satisfaction was nothing compared to the feeling of Shiro in his arms.

_Fin_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_Bonus_

Haggar’s chains jangled loudly as she was lead through the prison by two guards. Voices catcalled her as she walked by the other cells, hands reaching through the bars to graze her arm. She ignored them all, keeping her eyes ahead.

The prison guards lead her to the visitor’s room, securing her to a seat in front of a window. She picked up the receiver next to it and looked up at her guest.

“Is it done?” She asked.

Her visitor smiled. “Sendak has been found guilty for the murders of Rolo Reedus and Brian Beezer, as planned.”

“A pity they never found his accomplice.” Haggar replied.

“Truly unfortunate.”

“Implement Phase 2 of the plan.” Haggar ordered.

“As you wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end, folks! Thank you for joining me on this journey. This fic has been my baby for some time now and I'm so happy that people are actually enjoying it. :D
> 
> This is the start of a series, so there will be more for anyone that is interested. I'm currently working on a sequel as well as two side stories. One is about how Matt's claustrophobia came to be and the other is a look into what Shiro was going through while in captivity. I've also got a few fun ideas that I'd like to try as smaller one-shots as well. 
> 
> Please feel free to talk to me about Voltron on [Tumblr](http://eilera-chan.tumblr.com/). :)
> 
> EDIT: The sequel is now up! :D


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